Mohamed Salah, Florian Wirtz, Alisson Becker & Ibrahima Konatéplaceholder image
Mohamed Salah, Florian Wirtz, Alisson Becker & Ibrahima Konaté | Getty Images
The latest Liverpool injury news and return dates ahead of their Premier League fixture against Aston Villa
Liverpool are back in action this Friday when they travel to Villa Park for a match which could have a profound impact on their chances of qualifying for the Champions League – but a string of injury issues could make Arne Slot’s life much harder.
Defeat to Aston Villa could put the Reds at risk of missing out on a place in the Champions League next season depending on Bournemouth and Brighton’s results, so Liverpool will hope to have at least some of their eight potential absentees back in the fold. Mohamed Salah, Florian Wirtz, Alisson Becker and Ibrahima Konaté are among the key first-team players who could miss out as it stands.
With kick-off fast approaching, we’ve collected all of the latest injury news and updates below, along with the stricken players’ expected return dates when available.
Will Salah, Wirtz & Alisson be back in time to face Aston Villa?
The two biggest question marks ahead of the Aston Villa match hang over the heads of Mohamed Salah, who sustained a hamstring injury against Crystal Palace, and first-choice goalkeeper Alisson Becker who has been absent for the last nine games due to an undisclosed muscular problem.
Initial reports had suggested that Salah’s season – and thus his Liverpool career – could have been ended prematurely by his injury, but the club released a statement confirming that the Egyptian would return to the side before the end of the campaign, while Slot has described the issues as “minor.”
Comments from Slot had also suggested that Alisson was close to being involved in both of Liverpool’s last two Premier League games, but the Brazilian - whose Liverpool future is the subject of considerable recent speculation - still hasn’t returned to full training. Salah, too, is still sticking to gym work, but Slot stated ahead of the 1-1 draw with Chelsea that both were “very, very close” to being back to full fitness. The pair have a good chance of being involved against Aston Villa, although the Friday fixture means that time is working against them. The return of Giorgio Mamardashvili over the weekend at least means that there is less of a hurry to bring Alisson back into the fold.
Another player who could be in line for a return is Florian Wirtz. The German international was absent against Chelsea due to an illness which Slot described as a “stomach infection” which worsened over the course of last week. It is hoped that he will be well enough to play on Friday, but no further updates have been issued as yet.
Konaté a doubt as Liverpool face key match
There is a further doubt over the fitness of centre-half Ibrahima Konaté, who limped off in the second half against Chelsea – but according to Slot, the Frenchman was only dealing with cramp rather than a more serious problem.
Slot said that Konaté would undergo tests during the week to ensure that there was no further damage, but early indications are that his withdrawal was largely precautionary and that he should be back in the fold in time to face Aston Villa.
There is less positive news regarding the availability of defensive midfielder Wataru Endo. The Japan international will be out for at least one more week as he rehabilitates a serious ankle injury – there is an outside chance that he’s available for the final match of the season against Brentford on 24 May, but his season could well be over.
Three players certainly won’t be involved before the curtain comes down on the campaign: Hugo Ekitiké will likely be targeting an October return following surgery on an Achilles injury; Conor Bradley (knee) should come back sometime over the winter; and young defender Giovanni Leoni (ACL) will hope to return to full training over the summer.
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