Liverpool's Injury Boost: Ekitike, Leoni, and Bradley Set for Return
Liverpool’s thin squad has been handed a rare piece of good news: three long‑term absentees are now expected to play a meaningful part in the season.
Hugo Ekitike, Giovanni Leoni and Conor Bradley, all sidelined with serious injuries, are being lined up for what has been described as a “chunk” of the campaign, according to The Times. For a club that ended the window without a new right-sided winger, central midfielder or right-back, that matters.
A squad stretched, and a gamble taken
Liverpool’s business is done. The squad is set. It doesn’t feel complete.
The failure to bring in cover on the right flank, in midfield and at right-back has left the group looking light in key areas. There was a late push to prise Malo Gusto from Chelsea on loan, a move that would have offered versatility across right-back and central areas. Chelsea refused to play ball at a reasonable price, and the door closed.
So Liverpool turn inward. They wait. The plan now leans heavily on rehab rooms and medical reports, not the transfer market.
Three long roads back
All three returning players have been out for months, not weeks.
Ekitike, the most recent casualty of the trio, has still been missing since April. Bradley’s lay-off stretches back to the start of the year. Leoni has been out since last September, approaching a full year on the sidelines.
These are not minor knocks. Timescales have been vague, updates sporadic, and there is no guarantee what level any of them will hit once they do step back onto the pitch. Their first minutes back may simply mark the start of a longer climb towards sharpness rather than an instant solution to Liverpool’s depth issues.
That is why the suggestion that each could contribute a “chunk” of the season lands as a significant boost. It hints at more than a token appearance or two. At least a month of involvement apiece, perhaps more if recovery goes smoothly.
Leoni close, Ekitike later, Bradley the mystery
Leoni appears to be the closest. The expectation is that he will return to training and contention relatively soon, though Liverpool are prepared to handle him carefully after such a long absence.
Ekitike’s timeline looks longer. His comeback is thought to be closer to Christmas, with the hope that he still plays a part in 2026. That would turn what has felt like a lost year into something more productive in its final stretch.
Bradley is the great unknown. Information around his condition has been scarce, and clarity on both the exact nature of his problem and a firm recovery date has been lacking. Liverpool’s late attempt to sign a right-back hardly screamed confidence in his short-term availability.
Yet The Times’ line that Bradley, too, could feature for a chunk of the season cuts through that uncertainty. If that proves accurate, it changes the complexion of Liverpool’s options on the right side of defence.
For a squad that has been forced to “make do” rather than reinforce, the return of Ekitike, Leoni and Bradley won’t feel like new signings. It will feel more important than that: a chance to find out whether this season is about surviving shortages, or seizing momentum once the treatment room finally starts to empty.
