Liverpool's treatment room holds a mix of players nearing returns and long-term absentees. Dominik Szoboszlai suffered a setback on his recent comeback, while Jeremie Frimpong, Victor Munoz and others have been struggling of late. The Reds host Arsenal on Sunday after their Carabao Cup shootout win over Chelsea, with victory key to their title ambitions.
Szoboszlai closing in on return
Szoboszlai aggravated a hamstring injury on international duty with Hungary last month, then was forced off in his first game back, the 2-1 win at Brentford. Speaking ahead of the Chelsea game, Andoni Iraola compared Szoboszlai's recovery to Florian Wirtz's, indicating the timelines for Szoboszlai and Munoz will be short.
Iraola said: "With Dom and Victor, I'm not so sure. I don't want to say no, but I think it's more difficult than Florian." Speaking last week, Iraola indicated Szoboszlai's injury had not worsened but that Liverpool would take a patient approach with the Hungarian.
His most recent comments suggested the midfielder could return for Sunday's clash with Arsenal or the trip to Crystal Palace the following weekend. Liverpool also face Fenerbahce in the Champions League next Wednesday. Iraola stated: "Dom is going to be out this weekend, I don't think he is far [away from a return] but he has not trained with the group still and also considering that the other day we started him and he had to go out. He is in a good place, he is already training outside alone and is going to train with the group, but he is not ready for this one."
Frimpong and Munoz updates
Iraola is preparing to be without Frimpong until after the next international break. The former Manchester City academy player has been plagued by hamstring issues at Anfield. On Frimpong, Iraola said: "Jeremie Frimpong is obviously a new muscle injury and it happened, I think, in the second or third minute he was playing, difficult to predict and we will have to wait until he recovers. But it's going to be difficult, I think, before the [November international] break. We will try but it's going to be difficult to have him."
Munoz played the full 90 minutes against Brentford but picked up a knock. Seen as a minor issue, it kept him out of the Brighton and Chelsea games. Last Friday, Iraola revealed: "It was too early the other day against Villarreal, and I think it is going to be difficult [for Brighton] but I really don't know."
Long-term absentees
Giovanni Leoni tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee on his Liverpool debut in the Carabao Cup last September, weeks after a £26million switch from Parma. Further complications were found, and he has been out for 13 months. Liverpool now believe Leoni will return to training during November's international window.
"It's taking more time than we wanted," said Iraola. "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. 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."
Conor Bradley sustained a serious knee injury against Arsenal in January and is closing in on a return. "[He is] doing very well," Iraola shared. "I think [he is] 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. I think Conor is not very far from starting doing things with us." A return after the November international break seems likely.
Hugo Ekitike is recovering from a torn Achilles suffered in April. "They are both doing very well," Iraola said of Ekitike and Bradley. "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. He is still doing very well according to the plan." Ekitike's potential return date is early 2027.
