Liverpool injury latest: Hugo Ekitike, Conor Bradley and more | OneFootball

Liverpool injury update as Hugo Ekitike, Conor Bradley and Federico Chiesa edge towards key returns

Liverpool head into the first international break of the season in decent shape where it matters most, on the pitch and on the table. The 1-0 win over Bournemouth was not art, but it was enough. Alexander Isak scored the winner, Andoni Iraola got a victory against his former club, and Liverpool extended an unbeaten start that has built quiet momentum.

There was another positive too. No fresh injury problems appear to have come out of the Bournemouth game. After recent seasons, that counts for plenty. Joe Gomez was back in the squad after a muscle issue, the new defensive signings continue to settle, and the next Liverpool fixture is now a heavyweight one, Manchester City at Anfield on October 11, followed closely by a Champions League trip to LASK Linz.

That makes the injury list worth tracking properly, not dramatically. Liverpool still have several absentees, some short term, some not. Here is where things stand with Hugo Ekitike, Conor Bradley, Federico Chiesa and Giovanni Leoni.

Hugo Ekitike recovery remains longest wait

Ekitike is still the most serious case on the list. The striker has not played since rupturing his right Achilles tendon in the Champions League quarter-final second leg against Paris Saint-Germain at Anfield in April. It ended his season, ruled him out of the World Cup and left Liverpool without an important attacking option for the long haul.

An Achilles rupture is a major injury. There is no point pretending otherwise. The broad expectation has been nine to 12 months out, which leaves January to April as the realistic window for a comeback. The fact he has been posting clips of himself kicking and juggling a ball is encouraging, but this stage of rehab can look better on video than it feels inside the building.

Liverpool v Galatasaray S.K., UEFA Champions League GOAL Hugo Ekitike of Liverpool scores and celebrates during the Liverpool v Galatasaray S.K. UEFA Champions League, Round of 16, 2nd Leg match at Anfield, Liverpool, England on 18 March 2026 Credit: Ian Stephen/Every Second Media Editorial use only. All images are copyright Every Second Media Limited. No images may be reproduced without prior permission. Copyright: xIMAGO/EveryxSecondxMediax ESM-1864-0039 IanxStephenx/xEveryxSecondxMediax

Iraola has already explained why Ekitike was included in Liverpool’s Champions League squad, despite the obvious uncertainty. “It’s difficult with these long-term injuries and I think he’s still far [away from returning],” Iraola said. “We had a meeting with the medical department to analyse when we completed the [squad] list for the European games. There is a reasonable chance that he could help us in the last two games of the group stages.

“It’s still very early to say because it’s a long-term injury and a big part of the rehab [he] is still to meet.

“But we decided to put him there because there is a hope and a realistic chance that he could help us in January.”

That is the sensible reading of it. Hope, not certainty. January 2027 remains the earliest credible target for Ekitike’s return, and even then expectations should be controlled. Players do not usually come back from this sort of injury looking sharp straight away.

Conor Bradley still has ground to make up

Bradley’s absence has dragged on since January, when he suffered bone and ligament damage to his left knee late in the goalless draw with Arsenal. Surgery followed, then months of recovery, and Liverpool have had to proceed without one of the squad’s more energetic wide options.

The latest update from Iraola was clear enough. Bradley is progressing, but nobody should expect him back immediately. “He is not close to training with the team. He is training alone but he has started touching the ball. We want him back as soon as possible.

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“He has a road a little bit ahead of him and it is going to take some time.

“I think [Giovanni] Leoni is a little bit ahead of him and still it’s going to take some time for Conor, yes.”

That tells you all you need to know. Bradley is moving forward, yet still some distance from first-team work. November or December looks the likeliest return window. Anything earlier would be a bonus, and Liverpool would be foolish to force it.

Federico Chiesa could return for Manchester City

Chiesa is the one Liverpool will hope to get back fastest. He has not yet appeared competitively under Iraola after picking up what was described as a “small muscle injury” in his back during the friendly against Como last month. Small injuries can become irritating ones when they affect rhythm and conditioning, and that is the risk Liverpool have been trying to avoid.

He was ruled out of the Bournemouth game, but the three-week gap before Manchester City gives him a genuine shot. That matters because Liverpool’s attack has started producing, largely through Isak, but the squad still needs depth and variation. Chiesa offers direct running, aggression and another option in the final third.

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If rehab goes to plan, the City match is a realistic target. It is not guaranteed, and Liverpool will not throw him in half-ready for a game of that intensity, but among the injured players he is clearly the closest to a comeback.

Giovanni Leoni closing in after ACL setback

Leoni’s setback was brutal in its timing. The defender joined from Parma in a £26 million move and then tore the ACL in his left knee on his first Anfield appearance, against Southampton in the Carabao Cup. For a young player settling into a new club, that is about as bad as it gets.

A full year out was the expectation and that timeline has broadly held. Still, the signs are improving. Iraola has said Leoni is ahead of Bradley in the recovery process, and that opens the door to a return in October or November if there are no setbacks.

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Liverpool will be careful. ACL recoveries are about more than getting a player back in boots. They are about trust in the body, repeated training load and handling the mental side of competing again. Even so, Leoni appears to be moving in the right direction.

So, the overall Liverpool injury update is fairly simple. No new problems after Bournemouth, Chiesa could be back for Manchester City, Leoni may not be far behind, Bradley still needs more time, and Ekitike remains the long-term project. For now, that is manageable. The timing helps too, because the international break gives Iraola and his medical staff a chance to recover players without losing ground in the schedule.

With Isak scoring, the defence settling, and the fixture list about to stiffen, Liverpool do not need miracles on the injury front. They just need bodies back, one by one, and preferably on time.

For the latest match context and squad developments, the original report can be found here.