Liverpool Injury Update: Three Players Set to Return

Liverpool’s injury list has felt endless. The transfer window closed with holes still visible all over the pitch. Yet, behind the frustration, there is finally a sliver of good news.

Three players are expected back before this season is out. And not just late cameo appearances either.

Thin squad, big gaps

Liverpool’s squad is set, but it hardly looks complete. The club failed to land a right-sided winger, didn’t get the extra midfielder they wanted, and never found a new right-back before the deadline.

There was a late push to bring in Malo Gusto from Chelsea on loan, a move that would have ticked more than one box. He can operate at right-back and step into midfield zones, exactly the kind of hybrid profile Liverpool could use. Chelsea, though, had no intention of letting him leave on the cheap. The door shut. Liverpool were left with what they have.

So the strategy now is simple: survive, manage minutes, and wait for the treatment room to clear.

Three long-term absentees edging back

According to The Times, Liverpool expect Hugo Ekitike, Giovanni Leoni and Conor Bradley all to play a “chunk” of the season. For three players who have been out for so long, that word carries weight.

Ekitike, the most recent casualty of the trio, has been sidelined since April. That already feels like a lifetime ago. Bradley has been missing since the turn of the year. Leoni’s absence stretches back to last September – close to a full year out.

None of these are minor knocks. These are serious injuries, the kind that blur timelines and cloud expectations. Liverpool have been reluctant to pin down exact return dates, and there’s no guarantee what level any of them will hit immediately. The first step is simply getting them back on the pitch. Full sharpness will come later, if at all this season.

That’s why the suggestion that each could still contribute a meaningful portion of the campaign is significant. A “chunk” hints at weeks, not days. A spell where they can be part of a rotation rather than emergency options.

Different paths, same target

Leoni appears closest to a return. He is expected to rejoin contention relatively soon, though Liverpool will not rush him. After nearly a year out, caution is non-negotiable. The club need him fit for more than one desperate month.

Ekitike’s path looks a little longer. His comeback is likely to push closer to Christmas, but the expectation remains that he will still feature in 2026. That alone underlines how long and complex his recovery has been.

Bradley is the great unknown. Updates on his condition have been sparse. The exact nature of his problem and the realistic timeline for his recovery have never been fully clear from the outside. Every time Liverpool were linked with a right-back, it felt like another ominous sign about his status.

Yet The Times’ line that he, too, could play a chunk of the season cuts through that gloom. If the club genuinely believe Bradley can return and contribute, it changes the outlook on that right side of defence.

Liverpool ended the window short in several key areas. They will have to live with that. But if Ekitike, Leoni and Bradley do make it back in time to influence this campaign, the squad that looks stretched now might feel very different when the season reaches its decisive months.