Bradley, Ekitiké & Salah: Latest Liverpool injury news and return dates ahead of Barnsley & Burnley gamesplaceholder image
Bradley, Ekitiké & Salah: Latest Liverpool injury news and return dates ahead of Barnsley & Burnley games | Getty Images
The latest Liverpool injury and selection news - including updates on Hugo Ekitiké and Conor Bradley.
Liverpool are in action twice over the next seven days, with an FA Cup third round tie against League One Barnsley on Monday evening before they face Burnley over the weekend – but Arne Slot will have his options restricted by injury as he works to extend a 10-match unbeaten run.
Since last week’s draw with league leaders Arsenal, however, Conor Bradley has been ruled out following an injury sustained during that game and striker Hugo Ekitiké remains a major doubt due to a hamstring issue – and in total, Slot could be forced to get by without as many as six first-team players over the coming days.
With kick-off in the FA Cup fast approaching, we’ve collected all of the latest team news and injury updates below, along with the stricken players’ likely return dates when available and an update on when Mohamed Salah might return from the Africa Cup of Nations.
Will Hugo Ekitiké be out for Liverpool – and how bad is Conor Bradley’s injury?
Summer signing Hugo Ekitiké has missed Liverpool’s last two matches due to a hamstring injury, leaving Slot without an out-and-out striker – but there is optimism that the forward will return in time to face Barnsley on Monday night.
Following the game against Arsenal, Slot told the press that while Ekitiké had not been fit enough for that match, Liverpool “will do everything to have him available” for the FA Cup third round clash at Anfield, further clarifying that he was not expected to miss a significant period of time.
The club have not provided a further update since and the French forward remains a doubt, but Slot has made it clear that the Barnsley game is a possibility and has said that he would “guarantee” that he would play a strong squad, hinting that Ekitiké would be used in some capacity if fit enough.
There’s worse news, however, regarding right-back Conor Bradley. The Northern Irishman suffered a knee injury towards the end of the Arsenal match – an incident which created controversy after Gabriel Martinelli took umbrage with Bradley after what he failed to realise was a genuine injury – and the club have since confirmed that it was serious.
Bradley will undergo surgery to repair ligament and bone damage and will now be sidelined for the rest of the season, although Liverpool have confirmed that the 22-year-old did not sustain a ruptured ACL as many had feared. It is unclear whether he would be available to play in the World Cup should Northern Ireland make it through the play-offs in March.
Updates on Mohamed Salah, Alexander Isak and more
With Bradley out, Liverpool’s options down the right flank will be further constrained and while there is still doubt over Mohamed Salah’s future with the club, his return to Anfield from AFCON will still come as a relief in the short-term – but that has been further delayed after Egypt reached the semi-finals.
That means that Salah will certainly miss Liverpool’s next two matches, and could still be a doubt for the Champions League tie against Marseille on 21 January if Egypt reach the final in Rabat, which takes place the preceding Sunday. He should be back in time for the trip to Bournemouth at the very latest.
Liverpool will also have to make do without Alexander Isak for at least another two months as the Swedish striker continues his recovery from a broken leg, and centre-back Geovanni Leoni, who is expected to miss the rest of his debut season with an ACL injury.
The final injury concern hangs over the head of defensive midfielder Wataru Endo, who is close to making his comeback from an ankle problem which has kept him out for over a month – the 32-year-old is back in training and could be available to face Burnley, but the Barnsley match is expected to come too soon.
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