Image Credits: Imago Images
Liverpool’s injury woes have shown no signs of relenting as Arne Slot’s side battles through a challenging campaign. Conor Bradley’s devastating season-ending knee injury sustained against Arsenal was a cruel blow, with the Northern Ireland international requiring surgery on both bone and ligament damage that will keep him sidelined for the remainder of the domestic campaign.
Alexander Isak remains absent after undergoing surgery on a fractured fibula and ankle injury suffered against Tottenham in December, with Slot confirming the Swedish striker faces “a couple of months” on the sidelines.
Add to that Wataru Endo’s prolonged absence with an ankle complaint, Jayden Danns’ stress fracture keeping him out of training entirely, and Hugo Ekitike’s recent battle with delayed onset muscle soreness, and it has not been an easy period.
But amid the gloom surrounding Liverpool’s injury list comes a positive update: promising left-back Calum Scanlon has finally returned to action after a lengthy 353 days out with injury. The 20-year-old featured for Liverpool’s U21s in Tuesday’s 1-1 friendly draw against Wrexham at the Academy, marking his first appearance of the 2025-26 season.
Taking to Instagram immediately after the match, an emotional Scanlon wrote: “353 days. It’s been a while but I’m finally back, thank you Lord”. The post, accompanied by a photo of the youngster in action, drew heartfelt responses from current and former Liverpool teammates including Bobby Clark, James McConnell, Trent Kone-Doherty, Isaac Mabaya, and Luke Chambers.
Scanlon’s return will be particularly sweet for the Birmingham-born defender, who had previously enjoyed a dream introduction to senior football under Jurgen Klopp during the 2023-24 season. The left-back made his Liverpool debut in a 5-1 Europa League thrashing of Toulouse at Anfield on October 26, 2023, becoming one of twelve players handed their first-team bow by Klopp that campaign.
The then-18-year-old impressed sufficiently to earn a second appearance against Union SG in December 2023, battling with fellow academy graduate Luke Chambers for the backup left-back role in Liverpool’s Europa League squad. Scanlon’s performances earned him a new long-term contract in April 2024.
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