Arne Slot has confirmed the fears around Wataru Endo‘s ankle injury after Liverpool’s 1-0 win over Sunderland, expecting his No. 3 out “quite a long time.”
Endo was the latest emergency right-back brought into the side as Slot navigated injuries to Conor Bradley and Jeremie Frimpong and suspension for Dominik Szoboszlai.
The natural midfielder lasted just over an hour in a battling contest at the Stadium of Light before catching his ankle in a challenge.
It left Endo needing extensive treatment on the pitch before being stretchered off and replaced by Joe Gomez – himself only just back after three games out with a hip problem.
Liverpool continue to struggle with injuries to their right-back options and Slot admitted in his post-match press conference this latest blow “is a serious one.”
SUNDERLAND, ENGLAND - Wednesday, February 11, 2026: Liverpool's Wataru End? is greeted by Joe Gomez (L) as he carried on a stretcher injured during the FA Premier League match between Sunderland AFC and Liverpool FC at the Stadium of Light. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
“How serious, we don’t know yet, because it of course has to be assessed tomorrow,” he explained.
“But it doesn’t look good. I assume that he will be out for a long, long, long time. And what is long, that’s difficult to say in this moment.”
In his interview with TNT Sports he added: “I don’t think we have that many injuries, but you notice it earlier with us because our squad is not as deep as some others.
“But [Wata’s] injury doesn’t look good. I expect him to be out unfortunately for quite a long time again.
SUNDERLAND, ENGLAND - Wednesday, February 11, 2026: A stretcher on the pitch for Liverpool's Wataru End? as he lies injured during the FA Premier League match between Sunderland AFC and Liverpool FC at the Stadium of Light. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
“And on the right-back position we’ve had a lot of problems, that’s obvious.
“But what mentality from him as well, that things really don’t look good but he stayed on the pitch and defended one more set-piece.
“I think that tells you all about the mentality the team and he showed today, and that’s why we won the game as well.”
Liverpool Injury & Absentee List
|Player|Injury Type|Status|Expected Return|
Wataru Endo Ankle Unavailable Unknown
Jeremie Frimpong Groin Unavailable Late Feb/Early March
Alexander Isak Fibula Fracture Unavailable Late March
Conor Bradley Knee (Surgery) Unavailable Pre-season 2026
Giovanni Leoni ACL (Surgery) Unavailable Next season
Stefan Bajcetic Hamstring Unavailable Late February
Jayden Danns Hamstring Unavailable February
With Endo out it not only removes another right-back from contention from also reduces the depth available to Slot in midfield.
That is particularly concerning as an FA Cup fourth-round clash with Brighton is coming up on Saturday and the head coach has often used the domestic cups to rotate his squad more than he would in the Premier League or Champions League.
It could provide more opportunity for youngster Trey Nyoni, but more realistically it may simply add more strain on the senior midfielders such as Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister.
Endo will almost certainly undergo a scan later this week before a final verdict is made on his injury, but all signs point to a long-term layoff.