Liverpool Injury Update: Gomez, Chiesa, Ekitike Returns

Liverpool’s first win under Andoni Iraola has arrived. The injury list hasn’t gone anywhere.

A 2-0 victory at Ipswich, sealed by an Alexander Isak brace at Portman Road, gave the new manager his first competitive success in charge. Now comes the real step up: Atletico Madrid at Anfield on Wednesday in the Champions League.

Iraola would love at least one defender back in the fold before Europe returns to Merseyside. He might just get his wish.

Joe Gomez

Joe Gomez’s pre-season lasted barely 10 minutes. A muscle injury in Liverpool’s first friendly forced him off and immediately cast doubt over his start to the campaign.

At the time, Iraola warned it would not be a quick fix.

“He will be some weeks off,” the Liverpool head coach said after the Sunderland game in Nashville. “It's a muscle injury and [with] muscle injuries it is difficult to say one day, but normally I always put [it] as one month.”

That rough estimate has proved about right. The tone has now shifted from concern to expectation.

Before the trip to Ipswich, Iraola revealed: “Joe will probably start training with us next week, and it has gone normally. The recovery from a muscle injury - more or less, we were expecting the time on this. I hope we can have him before the break, let’s say.”

If all goes to plan, Gomez could be back in contention for the home game against Fulham on September 12. For a squad light on fit defenders, that would be a significant boost.

Potential return date: September 12 vs Fulham (H)

Federico Chiesa

Federico Chiesa’s Liverpool career has been forced to idle at the lights.

The Italian forward has missed the opening three matches of the season with a muscle problem, having “twanged” something in his back during a pre-season friendly against Como. Any hope of a quick return has long since faded.

Iraola has already pointed supporters towards a longer wait.

“I think even Fede should be around those dates [after the international break],” he said last week.

Those dates mean October. The visit of Manchester City at Anfield on October 11 is emerging as a realistic target, rather than an optimistic one.

Potential return date: October 11 vs Man City (H)

Hugo Ekitike

Hugo Ekitike’s Liverpool story stalled just as it was taking off.

The striker’s impressive debut campaign was cut short in April when he ruptured his Achilles tendon, a serious injury that has kept him out ever since. For now, his comeback remains a medium-term project rather than an imminent headline.

“Hugo will go [later this year],” Iraola said last week, underlining a cautious optimism that the French international will see the pitch before the calendar flips again.

The exact timing is still unclear. What is clear is that Liverpool will not rush him. After such a significant setback, every step is being measured.

Potential return date: Late 2026

Conor Bradley

On the opposite flank, Conor Bradley has endured his own long road back.

The right-back has been sidelined since January after suffering an injury against Arsenal. The Northern Ireland international required surgery and remains out, another name on a lengthening defensive absentee list.

Iraola believes Bradley could return before Ekitike and hopes the full-back will not be far behind Chiesa in terms of a comeback. That still places him some distance away, but at least there is now a loose sequence to Liverpool’s returning players.

Potential return date: Late 2026

Giovanni Leoni

Giovanni Leoni’s Liverpool debut became a nightmare in an instant.

The Italian youngster tore his ACL against Southampton a year ago and has not played since. For a player at the very start of his career on Merseyside, the wait has been agonising.

Now, finally, there is light.

“I think the plan is also to start training during the [international] break, with the group,” Iraola said before the win over Ipswich.

If his progress holds, Leoni could be back in the squad for the home clash with Manchester City on October 11. A year after that first, brutal setback, he is on the brink of a genuine restart.

Potential return date: October 11 vs Man City (H)

Liverpool’s squad is still stretched, the treatment room still busy. Yet with Gomez close, Leoni not far behind, and clearer timelines emerging for Chiesa and Bradley, Iraola’s options should thicken just as the season’s demands start to bite.