Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola has suggested the club could be in a stronger position after the November international break, as three long-term absentees edge closer to returning to training.
Giovanni Leoni, Conor Bradley and Hugo Ekitike have all been sidelined for extended periods, and Iraola has provided updates indicating progress in their recoveries.
Leoni's delayed recovery
Leoni has been out since suffering an ACL injury on his debut against Southampton in September 2025. His return to team training was initially planned for the September/October international break, but Iraola confirmed that has been delayed to the November break.
“It’s taking more time than we wanted,” Iraola said last month. “The planning was to train with the team in this past international break (but) probably it’s going to be in the next international break, so we’ve lost one month in the process.”
He added: “Giovanni’s injury, I wasn’t here but talking to the medical department, it was not just an ACL – it was a bad injury, a lot of things around the knee were involved apart from the ACL.”
Bradley and Ekitike progress
Bradley, sidelined since January with a serious injury, is reportedly close to returning to light training, while reports in France suggest Ekitike hopes to return from an Achilles injury over the festive period.
“They are both doing very well,” Iraola said. “I think they are in a good place. Conor is not so far from training with the group – not like full training but doing some things with the group. Hugo is a little bit behind that but that was always the plan.”
Other players in contention
Virgil van Dijk has withdrawn from the Netherlands squad with a minor injury, while Ryan Gravenberch has missed Liverpool's last two matches with a heel issue. Jeremie Frimpong is also sidelined with a muscle injury.
Iraola said of Frimpong: “It’s difficult to predict (when he will return). We will have to wait until he recovers but it is going to be difficult before the break.”
Liverpool return to action against Manchester United on November 22, and Iraola hopes the break will allow his squad to recover.
