Liverpool Include Ekitike in Champions League Squad, Chiesa and Endo Omitted

Liverpool have handed Hugo Ekitike a significant vote of confidence, naming the injured striker in their 25-man Champions League squad while leaving out senior pair Federico Chiesa and Wataru Endo.

Ekitike has not kicked a ball for the club since rupturing his Achilles tendon in April. The France international underwent surgery and has been working his way back towards full fitness, with Liverpool stressing as recently as September 3 on their official channels that no firm return date had been set.

On paper, that sounds like a long road. Iraola clearly sees it differently.

The Liverpool manager has backed the 22-year-old to play some part in the new League Phase of the competition, with BBC Sport confirming Ekitike’s inclusion in the squad list. Liverpool’s final League Phase fixture comes against RC Lens at Anfield on January 27, a date that now looms as a realistic target for the forward’s comeback.

You don’t reserve a precious squad slot for a player you don’t expect to use. Ekitike’s name on that list is a statement: Iraola believes he will have his French striker available before this phase is done.

Chiesa and Endo frozen out

The optimism around Ekitike contrasts sharply with the situation facing Chiesa and Endo.

Both have been left out of the Champions League group, a brutal call from Iraola that underlines where they stand in the pecking order.

Chiesa is currently sidelined but not long term. The Italian winger is expected to return to training after the September international break, which under normal circumstances would make him a strong candidate for European involvement. Not this time. Even with a probable return in the early autumn, he has not made the cut.

Endo’s case is even more stark. He is fully fit, training, and available. Iraola has still chosen to exclude him, a clear indication that the manager does not see a meaningful role for the Japan international in Europe this season.

The implications stretch beyond the Champions League. If Chiesa and Endo cannot break into a 25-man European squad, their chances of regular minutes in domestic competitions also look slim. Both now face an uncertain future at Anfield, with the January window already looming in the background.

That picture tallies with the blunt assessment offered recently by former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher. Speaking on The Overlap, Carragher claimed Liverpool “have got two players in the squad who are never going to play,” naming Chiesa and Endo and arguing that, within the restrictions of the 17 non-homegrown quota, their presence made little sense.

“It’s like they are never going to kick a ball,” Carragher said, adding that Endo “should have been moved on” despite acknowledging his status as “a bit of a cult hero”.

Iraola’s Champions League list now gives that verdict a hard edge. Ekitike, still rehabbing a serious injury, has been trusted with a place. Chiesa and Endo, fit sooner and fit now, have not.

For one forward, January 27 against Lens suddenly feels like a realistic stage for a comeback. For two senior teammates, the same date might instead mark the countdown to the exit door.