Liverpool Shows Faith in Ekitike, Excludes Chiesa and Endo from Champions League Squad
Liverpool have thrown a clear signal of faith behind Hugo Ekitike by naming the injured striker in their 25-man Champions League squad – and at the same time delivered a brutal message to Federico Chiesa and Wataru Endo.
Ekitike has not played since rupturing his Achilles tendon in April. The France international underwent surgery and has been working his way back, with the club confirming on September 3 that no return date has been set. No promises, no guarantees. Just a long road of rehab.
Yet Andoni Iraola has decided that road will end with Ekitike back in a Liverpool shirt before the League Phase is done. BBC Sport report that the forward has been included in the squad list for Europe, a move that underlines the manager’s belief that the 22-year-old can still influence this campaign.
Liverpool’s final League Phase fixture comes against RC Lens at Anfield on January 27. Ekitike’s presence on the list points to one thing: Iraola expects him to be available by then, or at least close enough to justify the gamble on a precious squad place.
Chiesa and Endo frozen out
Federico Chiesa and Wataru Endo have both been left out of the Champions League squad, a pair of heavyweight omissions that cut through any doubt about their current status under Iraola.
Chiesa is sidelined with injury but is anticipated to return to training after the September international break. Under a different manager, that timeline might have been enough to earn him a place. Under Iraola, it hasn’t. The Italian winger now faces the prospect of fighting for minutes only in domestic competitions, and even those look scarce.
Endo’s situation is even starker. He is fully fit, available, and still ignored. Iraola’s decision to exclude the Japan international defensive midfielder lays bare how far down the pecking order he has slipped. It is a footballing judgment, not a medical one.
Both players now stare at the same reality: their immediate futures at Anfield look bleak. When a manager sets his European squad, he reveals his inner circle. Chiesa and Endo are firmly on the outside.
Jamie Carragher had already sounded the alarm. Speaking on The Overlap, the former Liverpool defender did not bother with diplomacy.
“Liverpool have got two players in the squad who are never going to play,” he said. “They have got Chiesa and Endo. It’s like they are never going to kick a ball. Endo should have been moved on. He has done great, a bit of a cult hero.”
Iraola’s call has now put that assessment into sharp focus. Ekitike, still working his way back from a serious injury, gets a seat on the European stage. Chiesa and Endo, fit or nearly fit, do not.
For one striker, it is a show of faith. For two senior players, it feels like the beginning of the end.
