Liverpool injury latest: Jeremie Frimpong, Wataru Endo and more | OneFootball

Liverpool Injury Latest: Frimpong, Isak and Endo Concerns Deepen Crisis

Liverpool keep winning. They keep fighting. Yet beneath the results, an injury list grows heavier by the week.

Wednesday night’s 1-0 victory over Sunderland carried value in the Champions League race, Virgil van Dijk’s second half header snapping a 12 match unbeaten home run and moving the champions within two points of fifth placed Chelsea. It also carried a cost.

Arne Slot’s side walked off with three points and a clean sheet, but the defensive injury crisis tightened its grip again. Liverpool’s injury latest ahead of the FA Cup fourth round trip to Brighton reads like a roll call of disrupted plans and enforced improvisation.

Defensive Depth Stretched Further

Joe Gomez’s return from a hip issue was welcome. He started on the bench before being thrust into action when Wataru Endo was stretchered off in visible pain. Endo, filling in at right back, had battled through the night, even defending a corner after appearing to twist awkwardly. He went down again moments later.

An inflatable cast around his lower leg told its own story. Slot did not sugarcoat the situation afterwards. “His injury doesn’t look good,” the Liverpool boss said. “I expect him to be out, unfortunately, for quite a long time again.”

That word again carries weight. Liverpool’s injury problems have been persistent, not fleeting. Endo’s exact diagnosis remains unknown, but clarity will not alter the broader concern, depth is being tested beyond comfort.

Conor Bradley’s season ended earlier in January. Liverpool confirmed: “Liverpool FC can confirm Conor Bradley has sustained a significant knee injury.

“The right-back suffered the issue in the latter stages of Thursday night’s Premier League fixture away at Arsenal.

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“Bradley will undergo surgery in the coming days and then begin a period of rehabilitation at the AXA Training Centre.

“No timeframe is being placed on his return to playing at this stage of the process.”

He avoided an ACL rupture but required ligament surgery. He will not return this campaign.

Giovanni Leoni’s situation is harsher still. Slot said: “He is not in a good place, of course, because he tore his ACL and it means he will be out for around a year.

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“Being so young, coming to a new country and playing so well in your first game, it’s very hard to take the positive side.

“There’s never a positive side but he is still so young so he has many years to go after he recovers from a terrible injury like that.”

Youth and potential offer long term optimism. They offer no short term relief.

Frimpong and Right Back Dilemma

Jeremie Frimpong’s summer arrival promised dynamism down the flank. Instead, muscle injuries have stalled his rhythm. He has not featured since limping out of the 6-0 win over Qarabag in the Champions League.

Ahead of the Manchester City fixture, Slot admitted his compatriot would “definitely not train” and would not be available. After Sunderland, no fresh update emerged.

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Earlier this month, Slot had attempted to inject positivity. “He is out for a few weeks,” the Liverpool boss said. “But [it’s] not as bad as we thought he would be out. It’s something positive from something not so positive.”

The phrase reflects Liverpool’s injury landscape, search for silver linings in grey skies. Frimpong’s potential return away at Nottingham Forest on February 21 remains tentative.

Isak Blow and Forward Line Impact

Alexander Isak’s injury shifted the narrative before Christmas. After scoring in Liverpool’s 2-1 win over Tottenham, he fractured his fibula following a challenge described by Slot as “reckless”.

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Surgery followed. So did realism. “It’s going to be a long injury, for a couple of months,” Slot said. “It’s a big disappointment for him and, as a result, for us.”

Liverpool’s injury latest remains shaped by his absence. Isak’s movement and clinical edge had added variety to the attack. Without him, margins tighten.

Slot expects him to feature again this season, potentially in March 2026, but that depends on rehabilitation progression.

Brighton FA Cup Test Awaits

Liverpool head to Brighton for an FA Cup fourth round tie with questions around selection and structure. Clean sheets at Sunderland matter, but context matters more. When midfielders fill in at full back and academy prospects sit on the bench as insurance, balance becomes delicate.

Slot’s team have shown resolve. They absorbed pressure on Wearside and defended their box with composure. Yet resilience has limits.

Liverpool’s injury issues are not isolated incidents. They are interconnected threads shaping the season’s trajectory. Recovery timelines, rehabilitation updates and training ground assessments now carry as much significance as tactics.

The FA Cup offers opportunity. It also demands bodies, legs and clarity. Liverpool’s injury latest suggests the coming weeks will test squad management as much as ambition.