Liverpool has two new injury concerns ahead of its return to action against Manchester City next weekend, with Andoni Iraola keeping his fingers crossed on Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo
Cody Gakpo is a doubt for Liverpool after injuring his ankle with the Netherlands
Cody Gakpo is a doubt for Liverpool after injuring his ankle with the Netherlands(Image: Getty Images)
Liverpool will be happy to see the back of the international break soon, with Andoni Iraola keeping his fingers crossed that no more of his players are forced to return to Merseyside early.
The Reds’ boss has already seen Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo head home early from Sweden and Netherlands duty, respectively. Meanwhile, Dominik Szoboszlai raised concerns on Friday, although Hungary boss Marco Rossi has played down concerns over his substitution against Georgia.
With Manchester City lying in wait after the break though, Iraola will not want to add any more names to his injury list, with the Liverpool boss having been handed some encouraging updates on a couple of his long-term absentees this week.
Here is the latest on the injury front for Liverpool ahead of next weekend’s Premier League return against City.
Alexander Isak
Isak raised fears after lasting just one game of the international break before returning to Merseyside, having scored in Sweden's win over Romania.
Alexander Isak withdrew from Sweden's squad after one game in the international break
Alexander Isak withdrew from Sweden's squad after one game in the international break(Image: Image Photo Agency/Getty Images)
The 27-year-old's issue has been described as a minor thigh problem, which does leave hope that he will be able to recover in time to face City in the first game back after the break, although Iraola will be sweating on his striker's fitness.
Potential return date: October 11 vs. Man City
Cody Gakpo
Gakpo's return from Netherlands duty is much more concerning than Isak's, with the in-form forward having been forced off with an ankle injury following a strong challenge from Sasa Lukic against Serbia last weekend. Gakpo was due to undergo assessments on the issue after returning to Liverpool, although no indication has yet been given on the problem. However, early reports have suggested he could be facing weeks out, making his involvement against City look very doubtful.
Potential return date: Unknown
Giovanni Leoni
Having been out for over a year, Giovanni Leoni is on course to return to training later this month. Reports earlier this week indicated that the young Italian is being targeted to join in with the rest of his teammates during the week of October 12. That is slightly later than Iraola had previously suggested, but should all go to plan after recovering from his ACL injury, Leoni could soon be back in competitive action, with the 19-year-old potentially set to build up his match fitness with the club's Under-21s.
Potential return date: Late October/November
Federico Chiesa
Federico Chiesa's fitness is once again proving to be a source of frustration and some confusion. The Italian international has missed all of Liverpool's games so far this season, having picked up a back injury in preseason against Como. Iraola did indicate that the 28-year-old could return to training during the international break, but so little has been discussed about him so far that it's hard to see him forcing his way into the Liverpool head coach's plans.
Potential return date: October 11 vs. Man City
Conor Bradley
Liverpool will be eager to get Conor Bradley back to fight for the right-back spot in Iraola's side, although given his injury record, the club won't want to hurry him back after his serious knee injury. November looks to be the target for Bradley to make his return, with the Northern Ireland international having been spotted in videos at the Reds' training ground more frequently recently, although he will have to be cautious when he does eventually come back to training.
Potential return date: November
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Hugo Ekitike
Reports from France earlier this week were very encouraging on Hugo Ekitike's recovery, with the striker seemingly on track to return to action before the end of the year. It has been claimed that he is targeting a return to training next month before making his competitive return the following month, with the Boxing Day game against Hull a potential option for him.
Potential return date: November/December