Liverpool forward to miss pre-season tour after another injury blow | OneFootball

Liverpool pre-season squad confirmed as Iraola balances USA tour and injury rehab

Liverpool have named a 31-man squad for the club’s pre-season trip to the United States, and the headline is straightforward enough. Andoni Iraola wants bodies around him, wants cohesion, and wants the group together early. That includes players who are not fit enough to play yet, but are fit enough to travel and continue their rehabilitation work.

As first reported by Liverpool Echo, the travelling party for the Chicago base includes several senior names who are still recovering, among them Giovanni Leoni, Jeremy Jacquet, Hugo Ekitike, Conor Bradley, Wataru Endo, Stefan Bajcetic and Vitezslav Jaros. That tells you this is about more than friendlies against Sunderland, Wrexham and Leeds United. It is also about building habits, routines and a sense of collective purpose under a new head coach.

USA tour gives Iraola early control

This is what a new manager does. He gets everyone in one place and starts setting standards. Liverpool are missing their eight World Cup players at the start of the tour, which limits the work somewhat, but Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz and Ryan Gravenberch are expected to link up before the Wrexham fixture. Alisson Becker may yet feature later in the trip, while Virgil van Dijk and Cody Gakpo will have a longer break. Alexis Mac Allister and Victor Munoz are not due back until next month.

There is also a familiar pre-season subplot, academy players getting a proper look. Josh Abe, still only 16, is in the squad. So are Ifeanyi Ndukwe, Will Wright and Josh Sonni-Lambie. Some will get minutes, some will get experience, and one or two may force a conversation.

Jayden Danns setback is the real concern

The more significant development is Jayden Danns being left behind after another injury problem. Iraola confirmed the issue directly, saying: “Probably the worst news when we arrived is that we have, I would say, five players injured. Even Danns, who couldn’t start with us because he got injured with the U21s.”

Photo: IMAGO

That is bad news because the player has barely had any rhythm for a long time. His recent return to outdoor training had suggested progress. Instead, he has suffered another interruption after a 2025-26 season wrecked by hamstring trouble, including a frustrating loan spell at Sunderland. At some point, talk about potential has to give way to availability. For now, Liverpool can only manage his workload and hope this latest issue is minor.

Our View

From a Liverpool perspective, this all feels a bit too familiar. Every summer there is excitement about the tour, about young players, about fresh ideas, and then within a few paragraphs you are back talking about who is injured, who is absent and who is still doing rehab on the sidelines. It is hard to build momentum like that.

The Danns situation is especially annoying, and not because of anything he has done wrong. It is annoying because he is clearly talented and every time he seems ready to kick on, something goes wrong. Supporters want to see whether he can actually contribute to the first team picture, but you cannot judge a player who cannot get a run of matches. At this stage, you just feel sorry for him.

There is also pressure on Iraola straight away. Pre-season tours are sold as bonding exercises, and fine, they are, but fans also want signs of competence, conditioning and proper planning. Liverpool have had too many periods where injuries shape the conversation before the season has even started. If this tour is really about setting standards, then keeping players fit has to be one of the first standards set. Nobody expects perfection in July, but they do expect fewer recurring problems and fewer wasted weeks. That is the blunt reality.