Szoboszlai’s Injury Lay-Off Is Becoming Trey Nyoni’s Opportunity
Liverpool are heading into one of the trickiest stretches of their season without Dominik Szoboszlai, and depending on how you look at it, that is either a genuine worry or a chance for the squad to show its depth. Our take leans firmly towards the latter.
According to Sky Sports, the Hungarian is not close to a return from his hamstring issue, and Andoni Iraola is now bracing for life without him across three testing fixtures, Brighton at home, Chelsea in the Carabao Cup and then a trip to face Arsenal. It is not the news anyone wanted, but it is hardly a disaster either.
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) October 22, 2026
A Timeline Worth Being Patient About
The encouraging part of this update is the window being floated for his comeback. Reports suggest Liverpool could have him back for the Champions League visit of Fenerbahce on 4 November, or possibly held back slightly longer for the Premier League trip to Crystal Palace a few days later, giving him extra time to recover before the next international break.
That matters because hamstring problems are notoriously unforgiving when they are rushed. Szoboszlai’s game depends on repeated sprinting, pressing triggers and covering ground box to box, exactly the kind of movement that breaks down again if a player comes back too early. Liverpool were burned by exactly that pattern earlier in the campaign, and nobody should want to see it repeated. Getting this one right matters more than getting it quick.
Trey Nyoni Is Making This Easier Than It Should Be
What has taken a lot of the sting out of Szoboszlai’s absence is how well Trey Nyoni has stepped into the gap. His full Champions League debut against LASK was composed well beyond his years, and he followed it up with a mature cameo in the chaos of the 4-3 win over Villarreal, slotting in alongside Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister without looking remotely out of his depth.
Iraola has already pointed to Nyoni’s tactical intelligence, and it is easy to see why. A teenager who can read midfield battles and keep his positional discipline under pressure is not something every club has waiting in the wings. There will be rough nights too, that is the nature of blooding a young midfielder in the middle of a packed fixture list, but the early signs are far more promising than concerning.
The Bigger Picture Around This Squad
Szoboszlai is not the only absence Iraola is managing. Jeremie Frimpong is facing roughly a month out with a muscular issue, Víctor Muñoz picked up a knee knock, and there are question marks over Bradley Barcola’s involvement this weekend after he was missing from training footage. None of it is catastrophic in isolation, but stacked together it is a reminder of how thin the margins can get in a season with this many competitions running at once.
The part that should worry supporters more than any individual injury is how often Liverpool are being asked to grind out results while leaking goals at the other end. Szoboszlai’s pressing and energy would help paper over some of those defensive cracks, which is exactly why his return cannot be rushed just to patch a different problem.
Our View
Losing Szoboszlai for Brighton, Chelsea and Arsenal is not ideal timing, but we would rather see Liverpool take the sensible route here than gamble with a player this important to how Iraola wants to set up his midfield. An early November return, even if it means missing out on Arsenal, feels like the right trade-off given how badly this squad has been bitten by injuries already this season.
In the meantime, Nyoni deserves the runway to keep proving himself. Between him, Gravenberch and Mac Allister covering the base of midfield, and Florian Wirtz offering something different through the centre, Iraola has more options than the panic around this story might suggest. Get Szoboszlai back fully fit rather than half ready, and this spell of games will look like a minor footnote rather than a turning point.