Liverpool’s preparation for the 2026-27 Premier League season is well underway under new manager Andoni Iraola.
The Spaniard replaced Arne Slot at the helm at Anfield before the 2026 FIFA World Cup and arrives with quite the reputation after his fantastic stint with Bournemouth.
The Liverpool contingent that didn’t feature at the World Cup are already being put through their paces at the AXA Training Centre, with the others expected to join in due course.
And now, the new Reds boss has confirmed that he will be without six players for the start of the new season.
Liverpool have six injury absentees
Earlier this week, Iraola confirmed that Liverpool have three big injury absentees in the form of Hugo Ekitike, Conor Bradley and Giovanni Leoni.
Each of them are returning from long-term injuries and aren’t expected to take any part in pre-season, with their return dates set to be confirmed later in the year.
And now, the Spaniard has confirmed that he is also without Jayden Danns, Stefan Bajcetic and Wataru Endo, all of whom are nursing injury issues of their own.
“Probably the worst news when we arrived is that we have, I would say, five players injured,” said the Liverpool manager via Stan Sports.
“Even [Jayden] Danns, who couldn’t start with us because he got injured with the U21s. Obviously they are different injuries, three of them are long-term injuries, different phases.
“Then we have Stefan [Bajcetic] that is doing slowly, slowly better but is still not ready to train with us and waiting also for Wataru [Endo].”
Liverpool have a lot of work to do in the transfer market
The Reds have a lot of quality in their squad and it goes without saying that they were underwhelming last season under Slot.
However, in terms of numbers, they are still short-staffed, especially with four competitions to tackle.
Bajcetic hasn’t featured for the club in over three years and has had his development stalled due to a series of serious injuries. The same could be said about Danns, who was tipped for big things up front after bursting onto the scene under Jurgen Klopp.
As for Endo, he suffered an injury during the back end of the 2025-26 season, which led to him pulling out of the World Cup and later announcing his decision to retire from international football.
Endo is closer to returning when compared to the others, but it goes without saying that Iraola’s squad is wafer-thin at the moment.
And it is a problem that can only be addressed in the transfer market. Liverpool have already signed Victor Munoz and Jeremy Jacquet, but one could argue that they need three more signings at the very least between now and the start of the new season.
The clock is ticking for Iraola, Richard Hughes, Michael Edwards and the rest of the Reds’ hierarchy.
