Liverpool Injury Update: Gomez Close to Return, Chiesa's Patience Needed
Andoni Iraola finally has lift-off at Liverpool. A first win on the board, a clean sheet at Portman Road, and Alexander Isak already carrying the goalscoring burden with a sharp double against Ipswich.
Now comes the harder part: navigating a bruised squad into the Champions League.
Atletico Madrid visit Anfield on Wednesday for Liverpool’s European opener, and while most of Iraola’s injury list is still written in permanent ink, there is at last a hint of good news in defence.
Here is where Liverpool stand on their key absentees.
Joe Gomez
The most immediate boost could come at the back.
Joe Gomez lasted barely 10 minutes of Liverpool’s first pre-season friendly before a muscle injury forced him off against Sunderland in Nashville. At the time, Iraola braced everyone for a spell on the sidelines.
“He will be some weeks off,” the Liverpool head coach said after that game. “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 timeline has proved about right. The defender is now edging towards a full return.
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 continues to go to plan, Gomez is being lined up for a comeback shortly after the international window.
Potential return date: September 12 vs Fulham (H)
Federico Chiesa
Liverpool have yet to see Federico Chiesa kick a competitive ball this season.
The Italian forward picked up a muscle issue in pre-season, tweaking his back in the friendly against Como. Any hope of a quick fix disappeared quickly; this one needs patience.
Chiesa has already missed the opening three league fixtures and Iraola does not expect him back until after the first international break.
“I think even Fede should be around those dates [after the international break],” the Liverpool boss said last week.
The internal target is October, with a heavyweight home clash pencilled in as a realistic marker.
Potential return date: October 11 vs Man City (H)
Hugo Ekitike
Hugo Ekitike’s Liverpool story stalled just as it caught fire.
The striker’s superb debut campaign was cut short in April when he ruptured his Achilles tendon. He has not played since.
The nature of the injury means Liverpool will not rush him. Iraola accepts this is a long road, but he does expect to see Ekitike back in action before the year is out.
“Hugo will go [later this year],” he said last week, underlining that the French international’s return is a matter of months, not weeks.
The exact date remains unclear. The club are taking no risks with a player they view as a long-term attacking pillar.
Potential return date: Late 2026
Conor Bradley
On the opposite flank, Liverpool have been without Conor Bradley since January.
The right-back suffered an injury against Arsenal and required surgery, ruling the Northern Ireland international out for an extended spell.
He remains sidelined, but inside the club there is quiet confidence that Bradley could reappear ahead of Ekitike in the pecking order of returns. Iraola has suggested his timeline is not too far behind Chiesa’s.
Even so, Liverpool are looking at the long game.
Potential return date: Late 2026
Giovanni Leoni
One of the more forgotten names on the injury list is suddenly moving into focus.
Giovanni Leoni tore his ACL on his Liverpool debut against Southampton a year ago and has not featured since. For a young defender trying to establish himself, it has been a brutal introduction.
Now, though, the wait is almost over.
“I think the plan is also to start training during the [international] break, with the group,” Iraola said ahead of the win over Ipswich, outlining the next step in Leoni’s recovery.
Liverpool hope that, by the time Manchester City arrive at Anfield in October, Leoni will be in contention again.
Potential return date: October 11 vs Man City (H)
Iraola’s first victory has steadied the mood. The question now is simple: as Europe looms and the schedule tightens, will Liverpool’s returning legs arrive in time to turn a promising start into something far more serious?
