Liverpool were without four key players as Andoni Iraola’s Reds returned to training following Tuesday’s 4-3 win over Villarreal in the Champions League and a recovery day on Wednesday, with Bradley Barcola, Victor Muñoz, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Jeremie Frimpong all absent.
However, the quartet have very different prognoses and expected return timelines. Barcola’s case is the most positive, as he is expected to be involved Sunday when Liverpool return to Premier League action at home against Brighton, with the French international left winger and summer mega signing on an individual recovery program as he continues to adapt to life in the Premier League.
Barcola came on in the 73rd minute against Villarreal on Tuesday and has no particular injury concerns, but in order to get the best out of him it is believed he needs more recovery time as he adjusts to a more intense league.
For Muñoz, the issue is a knee injury. It kept him out mid-week but is not believed to be serious, with the Spaniard not yet ruled out for Sunday. After re-aggravating his hamstring last weekend, Szoboszlai is projected to miss one to three matches and is expected back before the international break. Meanwhile, Frimpong is expected to be unavailable until after the break.
With Wataru Endo and Federico Chiesa back in training this week, there are no other first team absences to note, and importantly Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo continue to be fully involved following their own recent injuries and returns to action over the past week.