Liverpool's Injury Updates: Ekitike, Leoni, and Bradley Set for Return
Liverpool’s thin squad has been handed a sliver of good news – and it’s coming from the treatment room.
The club failed to land a right-sided winger, a midfielder or a right-back before the deadline, leaving obvious gaps in a group already stretched to its limits. A late move to bring in Malo Gusto on loan from Chelsea came to nothing, with the London club unwilling to sanction a cheap deal for a player who can operate both at right-back and in midfield.
So Liverpool are left to wait. To manage minutes. To hope the cavalry arrives from within.
According to The Times, the club expect Hugo Ekitike, Giovanni Leoni and Conor Bradley to play a “chunk” of the season, a significant boost given all three have been out for extended periods with serious injuries.
Ekitike, the most recent casualty of the trio, has been sidelined since April. Even that feels relatively fresh compared to the other two. Bradley has not featured since the turn of the year. Leoni has been out since last September – close to a full year in the wilderness.
These are not minor setbacks. Recovery timelines have been vague, fitness levels on return are unknown, and no one inside or outside the club can say with certainty what version of each player will re-emerge. For Liverpool, even getting them back on the pitch would mark only the first step of a longer journey towards full sharpness.
That is why the suggestion that each could still contribute a meaningful portion of the campaign lands as such a lift. A “chunk” of the season hints at more than a token cameo here or there. It suggests at least a month of involvement for all three, and potentially much more for one or two of them if progress holds.
Leoni is the closest. The expectation is that he will return to contention relatively soon, though Liverpool will not rush him after such a long lay-off. The plan is caution, not desperation.
Ekitike may have to wait until closer to Christmas before he can realistically feature, but the belief is that he will still play a part in 2026. For a player of his profile, even limited minutes could change the dynamic of a threadbare attack.
Bradley is the great unknown. Updates on his condition have been scarce, and there remains uncertainty over the full extent of his injury and any firm recovery date. The club’s attempt to bring in a right-back late in the window underlined that concern and hinted at doubts over when he might be available again.
Yet The Times’ line that Bradley, too, could still play a chunk of the season changes the mood around his situation. For a squad short on depth and options on that side of the pitch, even that cautious optimism feels like a significant step forward.
