Frimpong, Wirtz & Isak: Latest Liverpool injury news and expected return dates ahead of West Ham clashplaceholder image
Frimpong, Wirtz & Isak: Latest Liverpool injury news and expected return dates ahead of West Ham clash | Getty Images
The latest Liverpool injury news and likely return dates - including an update on the fitness of Florian Wirtz.
Liverpool may have escaped from the City Ground with a somewhat fortuitous 1-0 win on Sunday, but they didn’t get through the weekend without one significant loss – that of Florian Wirtz, who pulled out of the matchday squad for the game against Nottingham Forest after sustaining an injury during the warm-up.
With Wirtz now in need of treatment, Arne Slot could be forced to make do without as many as eight players for the upcoming Premier League match against West Ham United – with Jeremie Frimpong and Alexander Isak among the players who are either out or doubts for the game at Anfield.
With kick-off looming on the horizon, we’ve collected all of the latest Liverpool injury news below, along with the absent players’ expected return dates when available.
How bad is Florian Wirtz’s injury?
£116m midfielder Florian Wirtz was seen in deep discussion with Liverpool’s medical staff during the pre-match warm-up on Sunday and eventually left the field shaking his head in apparent frustration – before it was revealed that he would not be fit enough to start and that he had been replaced in Slot’s starting line-up by Curtis Jones.
It later transpired that Wirtz had hurt his back too badly to play against Nottingham Forest, but Slot appears to be upbeat about the German’s chances of taking part this Saturday.
“We don’t think it’s very serious, but [Wirtz] felt his back too much during the warmup to start,” he told the press after the game. “He wasn’t able to be 100% or even close to 100%.
“He understands that no matter how good you are on the ball, you need to be 100 percent at this level, so we decided not to play him. But we hope and expect that he will be able to be with us again next week. But yeah, you never know how things work out.”
As it stands, Wirtz remains a potential doubt for the match against West Ham, but there seems to be confidence that he isn’t likely to be out for an extended period of time.
Will Liverpool’s Jeremie Frimpong be fit to face West Ham?
Another summer signing, Jeremie Frimpong, has been struggling with his fitness this season, and the full-back has missed the last five matches due to a groin injury – but could return in time to face West Ham.
Speaking ahead of the 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest, Slot said that “we hope [Frimpong] will be involved next week if things go as planned.” Should the Dutchman indeed prove to be fit enough to play, it could make life much easier with fellow right-back Conor Bradley out until late 2026 due to a serious knee injury.
While Alexander Isak won’t be back in the side just yet, there was also some good news on the Swedish striker’s status – Slot has now confirmed that he has returned to light physical training with his rehabilitation from a broken leg seemingly on track. He should be available again by mid-April.
Isak will certainly return before either Giovanni Leoni, who will miss the entire season due to a ruptured ACL, or Wataru Endo, who faces a battle to be involved again before the end of the 2025/26 campaign due to an ankle injury. Slot has refused to put a timescale on the Japan international’s return, but it is believed to be unlikely that he’s ready to play before May.
Also unavailable is injury-plagued midfielder Stefan Bajčetić, who suffered a setback in his recovery from a serious hamstring issue in January, but young forward Jayden Danns is closing in on a come-back from a similar injury which has sidelined him for five months. He is likely to play for Liverpool’s Under-21s before he is recalled to the senior squad.
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