Liverpool injury update as Florian Wirtz scare adds to growing selection headache
Liverpool beat Brighton with authority, and that was the good part. The bad part arrived in the second half, when Florian Wirtz went off after twisting his ankle. For a side already managing several absences, that is the last thing Andoni Iraola needed.
Wirtz had been one of the standout performers before going off. He scored with a deflected effort, set the tempo in possession and looked every bit the elite attacker Liverpool invested £100m in. Then came the awkward turn, the immediate concern, and the familiar wait for clarification.
Iraola did not sound alarmed after the game, which matters. He said: “Unfortunately, he had to leave the pitch with a small twist of the ankle. It doesn’t look big, but we’ll see.” That is cautious rather than dramatic, and Liverpool will hope it proves accurate. With Chelsea next in the Carabao Cup, followed by Arsenal, Fenerbahce and Crystal Palace before the international break, there is no room for fresh problems.
At this stage, the expectation is that Wirtz has avoided anything serious. The question is whether Liverpool risk him against Chelsea or hold him back for Arsenal. Given the schedule, that decision may come down to swelling, pain response and how much work he can do early in the week. A return against Chelsea remains possible, and Arsenal is the safer estimate.
IMAGO
Florian Wirtz and Dominik Szoboszlai latest
Wirtz is the new concern, Dominik Szoboszlai is the one Liverpool have been trying to get back at the right moment. The midfielder has missed four matches with a hamstring issue that has already proven awkward. He was initially ruled out of games against Manchester City and LASK, returned against Brentford, then lasted barely half an hour before aggravating the same problem.
That sort of recurrence tends to sharpen the medical approach. Liverpool have no interest in dragging him back too quickly again. Iraola made it clear that progress is being made, but not enough for Brighton. He said: “Dom is going to be out this weekend, I don’t think he is far [away from a return] but he has not trained with the group still and also considering that the other day we started him and he had to go out.
“He is in a good place, he is already training outside alone and is going to train with the group, but he is not ready for this one.”
That sounds like Arsenal is the realistic target. Chelsea may come a touch too soon unless his reintegration accelerates sharply. Liverpool need Szoboszlai fit because he brings running power, ball progression and intensity, all of which become more important when the fixture list tightens.
Jeremie Frimpong setback and Victor Munoz status
Jeremie Frimpong’s situation looks far more straightforward, and far more frustrating. It is another hamstring injury, and the early message from Iraola was clear enough. Liverpool are not expecting him back before the November international break.
The coach said: “Jeremie Frimpong is obviously a new muscle injury and it happened, I think, in the second or third minute he was playing, difficult to predict and we will have to wait until he recovers.
“But it’s going to be difficult, I think, before the [November international] break. We will try but it’s going to be difficult to have him.”
There is not much ambiguity there. Manchester United on November 22 looks the first realistic date, and even that depends on a clean rehab period.
Victor Munoz is less severe, though he remains unavailable for now. The winger picked up a knee issue against Brentford, managed to finish that match, but has since been kept out. The description has been a knock rather than structural damage, which is encouraging. Iraola said before Brighton: “It was too early the other day against Villarreal, and I think it is going to be difficult [for Brighton] but I really don’t know.”
That usually points to a player on the edge of availability. Chelsea is possible, Arsenal perhaps more likely. Liverpool will not want to be thin in the wide areas if rotation becomes necessary over the next week.
Longer-term Liverpool injury news on Ekitike and Bradley
Further down the list, Liverpool have two players working back from serious injuries, and both appear to be moving in the right direction. Hugo Ekitike is recovering from the Achilles tendon tear suffered in April. That is a long rehabilitation by any standard, so caution is non-negotiable. The positive part is that his work at Kirkby has gone well.
Iraola said the forward is “doing very well. Hugo is a little bit behind (Conor Bradley’s return timeline) but that was always the plan.” In practical terms, that puts him on course for a return to training before a return to matches, with November or December the current window.
Conor Bradley is slightly further along. He has been out since the serious knee injury sustained against Arsenal in January and has yet to feature this season. Still, the language around his recovery is encouraging. Iraola said: “[He is] doing very well.
“I think [he is] in a good place. Conor is not so far from training with the group, not like full training but doing some things with the group.
“I think Conor is not very far from starting doing things with us.”
That suggests a phased return through partial sessions before full competitive availability. November 22 against Manchester United looks like the sensible target, and Liverpool would be wise to treat anything earlier as a bonus rather than a plan.
Giovanni Leoni timeline and key return dates
Giovanni Leoni remains the long-view case. Tearing an ACL on his Liverpool debut was brutal luck, and his recovery has taken longer than initially hoped. Iraola has already indicated there has been roughly a one-month delay, which means team training after the international break is the current aim, with competitive action more likely in December.
Put it all together and Liverpool’s injury picture is manageable, but only just. Wirtz appears to have avoided a major problem, Szoboszlai is close, Munoz is on the edge of returning, while Frimpong, Bradley, Ekitike and Leoni require more patience. What matters now is avoiding another setback in a run of fixtures that will test depth, judgement and timing.