Liverpool Injury Update: Gomez Close, Chiesa and Ekitike Still Out
Liverpool finally have lift-off under Andoni Iraola. A first win on the board, a clean sheet, Alexander Isak ruthless in front of goal – and now, at last, a little light on the injury front.
Friday night’s 2-0 victory at Ipswich Town settled a few early-season nerves, but the real test lands on Wednesday when Atletico Madrid arrive at Anfield for Liverpool’s Champions League opener. Iraola will want every fit body he can get. He may just be about to welcome one back.
Joe Gomez on the brink
Joe Gomez’s summer barely got going before it stalled. The defender lasted only 10 minutes of Liverpool’s first pre-season friendly before a muscle problem forced him off, prompting an early reshuffle to Iraola’s plans.
At the time, the manager warned it would be “some weeks” out.
“It’s a muscle injury and [with] muscle injuries it is difficult to say one day, but normally I always put [it] as one month,” Iraola said after the Sunderland game in Nashville.
That rough estimate has proved accurate. The tone has shifted now from concern to anticipation. Speaking before the trip to Portman Road, Iraola revealed Gomez is almost ready to rejoin the group.
“Joe will probably start training with us next week, and it has gone normally,” he said. “The recovery from a muscle injury – more or less, we were expecting the time on this. I hope we can have him before the break, let’s say.”
Liverpool won’t rush him into a European cauldron, but the home game against Fulham on September 12 is emerging as a realistic target.
Potential return date: September 12 vs Fulham (H)
Chiesa and the October plan
On the other side of the pitch, Federico Chiesa is still waiting to kick a ball in anger for Liverpool this season.
The Italian forward has missed the opening three league games with a muscle issue after “twanging” something in his back during a pre-season friendly against Como. It sounded minor at first. It has lingered.
The club are now working off an October timeline. Iraola grouped Chiesa in with those expected back after the international break.
“I think even Fede should be around those dates [after the international break],” he said last week.
For Liverpool, that points towards the home clash with Manchester City on October 11 as a realistic return date – a brutal fixture to step back into, but also the kind of stage Chiesa was signed for.
Potential return date: October 11 vs Man City (H)
Ekitike’s long road back
Hugo Ekitike’s story is harsher. His debut campaign lit up quickly and then stopped just as suddenly when he ruptured his Achilles tendon in April.
He has not played since.
Iraola remains optimistic about seeing the French striker before the year is out, but the club will tread carefully with such a serious injury.
“Hugo will go [later this year],” the Reds’ boss said last week, hinting at a gradual reintroduction rather than any immediate push.
For now, any pencilled date is broad. Late 2026 is the working projection, underlining just how long-term Liverpool view his recovery and reintegration.
Potential return date: Late 2026
Bradley still sidelined
On the right side of defence, Conor Bradley has endured his own lengthy spell out.
The Northern Ireland international has not featured since suffering an injury against Arsenal in January. Surgery followed. The comeback still hasn’t.
Bradley remains sidelined but is not considered as far away as Ekitike. Iraola hopes the full-back will slot in not too long after Chiesa’s expected return, which again places late 2026 as the rough timeframe.
Potential return date: Late 2026
Leoni edges closer
One of the most painful setbacks of the past year came for Giovanni Leoni. The Italian youngster tore his ACL on debut against Southampton a year ago, a nightmare start that halted his Liverpool career before it had even begun.
He has not played since. That wait, though, is almost over.
“I think the plan is also to start training during the [international] break, with the group,” Iraola said before the win at Ipswich, outlining the next phase of Leoni’s recovery.
Liverpool have targeted the same date as Chiesa for his competitive return. Manchester City at Anfield on October 11 could mark the end of a brutal year and the beginning of something far more encouraging.
Potential return date: October 11 vs Man City (H)
As Atletico Madrid loom and the Champions League anthem returns to Anfield, Iraola’s squad is still patched together. But with Gomez nearing the grass, Chiesa and Leoni circling October, and longer-term projects ticking quietly in the background, the question is clear: how different might this Liverpool side look once the treatment room finally starts to empty?
