Liverpool’s Injury Picture Starts to Clear as Ekitike Nears Return

For the first time in months, there is a genuinely encouraging note creeping into Liverpool’s team news. Andoni Iraola’s latest update on his squad suggests the club’s attacking options might finally start to widen again, and not a moment too soon given how thin things have looked up top.

Ekitike’s Comeback Edges Closer

Hugo Ekitike has not featured since April, when an Achilles injury ended his involvement just as he was hitting his stride. His absence looks like the single biggest factor behind Liverpool’s lack of variety in attack this season. Alexander Isak has carried an enormous burden as the only recognised senior striker in the building, and although he has delivered, no team wants to rely on one man staying fit and firing for months on end.

Iraola stopped short of setting a firm return date, but he did not close the door either, suggesting Ekitike could feature again before Liverpool’s Champions League group campaign wraps up. Given the seriousness of an Achilles tear, that timeline should be treated as optimistic rather than guaranteed, but it is still the clearest signal yet that the forward’s long lay-off is entering its final stretch.

Before injury struck, Ekitike had made an instant impression at Anfield, with seventeen goals and six assists in 45 appearances. That kind of return from a player still settling into a new league is exactly the sort of threat Liverpool have missed while leaning so heavily on Isak, who has continued delivering regardless, not least with both goals in last week’s 2-0 win at Ipswich.

Barcola Scare Turns Out to Be Nothing Serious

There was a nervier moment during the win over Atletico Madrid when Bradley Barcola was withdrawn around the hour mark, sparking obvious concern given how recently the club paid £123m for him. Iraola quickly played it down as cramp rather than anything serious, indicating Barcola should be available again once assessed. For a player only just settling in, avoiding a fresh setback matters a great deal.

Gakpo’s Fulham Involvement Still Uncertain

Less reassuring was the update on Cody Gakpo, who sat out the Atletico game with a hip adductor problem and remains a doubt for the upcoming trip to face Fulham. Iraola was honest enough to admit the club would need another day to assess him properly before making a final call.

Taken together, this is a mixed but broadly welcome bulletin. Barcola looks set to be fine, Gakpo’s involvement hangs in the balance, and Ekitike appears to have a realistic if unconfirmed route back into contention before the year is out. None of it solves Liverpool’s squad depth overnight, but after a long stretch of bad news on the injury front, this at least points in the right direction.