Liverpool has to make big changes as their pre-season injury problems get even worse.
A member of Andoni Iraola’s coaching team had to join in training, revealing just how tough Liverpool’s injury situation really is.
Liverpool clearly wants to sign a new winger soon to replace club legend Mohamed Salah, but that’s not the only spot they need to strengthen before the Premier League season starts. After Ibrahima Konate left for Real Madrid and Andrew Robertson moved to Tottenham Hotspur when their contracts ended, the Reds urgently need new defenders ahead of their first game against Newcastle United.
Right now, Liverpool only has nine defenders, and many have played fewer than five times or are injured. Virgil van Dijk is the only senior centre-back who’s fully fit, while Jeremy Jacquet, Giovanni Leoni, and Joe Gomez are all sidelined. Jacquet, who joined this summer, has a short-term injury, Leoni is recovering from an ACL injury, and Gomez got hurt early in a friendly match versus Sunderland.
Because of this, new head coach Iraola has had to rely on young players like Ifeanyi Ndukwe, Mor Talla Ndiaye, and Luke Chambers to play at centre-back in recent games.
Things are even tougher in training—first-team coach Tommy Elphick has had to step in during some sessions in the U.S. to fill in because of the lack of defenders. Elphick, a former centre-back with Bournemouth and Aston Villa, is helping out on the pitch.
With the Premier League starting in just over two weeks, fans are wondering who will play alongside Van Dijk. Many hope Liverpool will sign another centre-back soon, but according to Sky Sports’ Mark McAdam, that probably won’t happen. He shared, “No is the answer we are being told. Liverpool won’t be signing a defender in the next four to six weeks. They just have to get through this tough time and wait for their players to get back.”
Because of this, Wataru Endo might fill in at centre-back for the Newcastle game as he’s close to returning from injury. Iraola said, “Wataru has started training more steadily and should be ready soon. I hope Wata can play maybe against Monaco and get some minutes.”
There’s also a chance Jacquet will be back by the Premier League kickoff after missing pre-season games due to a minor issue Liverpool is carefully managing to avoid a bigger injury.