Liverpool injury update: Joe Gomez closes in on return to team training

Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola has outlined the recovery plans for five injured players, with Joe Gomez currently the closest to returning to first-team training.

Gomez has not featured this season after sustaining a muscle injury during Liverpool’s pre-season tour of the United States, but Iraola said the defender’s rehabilitation has progressed as expected. He is likely to resume training with the squad next week, with Liverpool hoping to have him available before the upcoming international break.

Giovanni Leoni is also moving closer to a return after nearly a year on the sidelines with an anterior cruciate ligament injury. Liverpool’s current plan is for the centre-back to rejoin team training during the September-October international break.

Federico Chiesa is expected to follow a similar timetable. The Italy international has been unavailable with a muscle problem sustained during pre-season, and Iraola indicated that he could also be back working with the group around the international break.

There is less clarity around Conor Bradley and Hugo Ekitike, both of whom remain longer-term absentees.

Bradley underwent surgery after suffering a significant knee injury against Arsenal in January, while Ekitike has been out since rupturing his Achilles tendon in April. Liverpool have not set formal return dates for either player, with Iraola indicating that both are expected back later than Gomez, Leoni and Chiesa.

The update gives Liverpool a clearer picture of their injury situation ahead of Friday’s Premier League trip to Ipswich Town. Gomez appears to be the first of the five players likely to return to full training, while Leoni and Chiesa are targeting the international-break period as the next stage of their respective recoveries.