All in all, Liverpool FC are not in too bad of a spot right now; all things considered. They have a few serious injuries to contend with (Conor Bradley and Giovanni Leoni are both done for the season, due to knee injuries), and their most brand name player, Mo Salah, is still away at the Africa Cup of Nations, where his Egypt side has advanced to the semifinals. We can speculate on his future with the club, in a different time and space. For now, let’s get you up to speed wth the latest on Bradley, Wataru Endo and Rio Ngumoha, ahead of the weekend Premier League fixture versus Burnley FC.
Liverpool vs Burnley FC FYIs
Kickoff: Sat. Jan 17, 2026, at 3pm, Anfield, Liverpool, UK
Google Result Probability: Burnley 7% Draw 14% Liverpool 79%
PL Position, Form Guide: Burnley 19th, 13 pts DDLLL Liverpool 4th, 45 pts WWDDD
Liverpool Team News
Let’s start with Bradley, as the club released a statement on him a couple days ago: “He will undergo [knee] surgery in the coming days and then begin a period of rehabilitation. No timeframe is being placed on his return to playing at this stage of the process.”
We’ll see where he’s at in the summer. Elsewhere Alexander Isak is out until March, maybe even perhaps April.
Moving on to Endo, he’s recovering from his ankle injury, and although he’s getting closer towards a return, it won’t happen in time for this weekend.
“I think if I am correct, he might start to train one of these days, but he has been out for two months now, that’s of course different to being out for one week,” said Liverpool manager Arne Slot.
The news is much better for Ngumoha.
“I assume and expect it’s cramp,” Slot said a couple days ago.
“It tells Rio that a PL game is more intense than this one. It’s very nice for him to make 70 mins, but it is still very hard work to be ready for 90 in the PL, but that is completely normal for a 17-year-old, make no mistake about that.”
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, RG.org and Ratings.org. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.