Latest Liverpool injury news and return dates including Mohamed Salah, Conor Bradley and Rio Ngumoha as Arne Slot waits on good news
13:12, 14 Jan 2026Updated 22:40, 15 Jan 2026
Liverpool return to action this weekend when they host Premier League strugglers Burnley at Anfield. Arne Slot's side switch back to the task of securing a top-four finish in the league having confirmed progression in the FA Cup with a 4-1 win against Barnsley.
The Reds also have the remainder of the UEFA Champions League's league phase to finish towards the end of this month, meaning they are still competing on three fronts this term. It is therefore no wonder that Slot's squad has been depleted by injuries so often this season, with one of the latest deemed serious.
Full-back Conor Bradley's season was ended when he picked up a knee injury six days ago, minutes before the final whistle in Liverpool's goalless draw away to Arsenal.
On Wednesday, the 22-year-old confirmed a successful surgery to deal with the issue, saying his "comeback starts now."
"A big blow but surgery is done so the comeback starts now. It won't be for a little while but I already can't wait to get back playing for Liverpool and Northern Ireland. Thanks for all the support," Bradley wrote on Instagram. His teammates came out in support upon seeing the social media update.
Liverpool have not placed an exact timescale on his injury though it is expected he will not feature again in 2025/26. This would place a desired return around pre-season ahead of the 2026/27 campaign.
Joining him on the sidelines after the Reds' FA Cup third-round win over Barnsley was Rio Ngumoha. The 17-year-old enjoyed a bright performance against the Tykes before being forced off in the 73rd minute.
"That's cramp, I hope," Slot commented after the match. "I expect it to be cramp. Ngumoha's [injury] is not so strange because he hasn't made that many minutes this season, and today he made [73].
"That's good for him, I think. Without wanting to disrespect [Barnsley], the intensity levels in the Premier League are even higher, so that is a nice taste for Rio to keep working really, really, really hard to be able to play 90 at this level."
If Slot was correct and the problem was merely cramp, Liverpool supporters should hope to see Ngumoha back in the squad to face Burnley at Anfield on Saturday.
Fellow attacker Mohamed Salah is also out of domestic action, though not due to injury. The 33-year-old has captained Egypt to the Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals, where they will meet his ex-Reds teammate Sadio Mane and Senegal on Wednesday night.
If they win, Egypt will take part in Sunday's AFCON final but if they lose, they will play in Saturday's third-place play-off. This means at the very soonest, Salah will be able to return for Liverpool when they travel Marseille in the Champions League in one week's time.
Meanwhile, Alexander Isak still faces a lengthier spell out of action as he continues to recover from the lower leg injury he suffered in the December fixture against Tottenham Hotspur. The £125m record signing was forced to undergo surgery and has been tipped to return to playing by March at the very soonest.
Lastly, central defender Giovanni Leoni is another who is working towards a return in summer 2026, after the current campaign has finished. The 18-year-old was dealt a cruel ACL injury when making his debut at Anfield last September and was quickly ruled out for a lengthy period.
Recently, he said: "As soon as I hit the ground, I said to Conor Bradley, my team-mate: 'I've done my cruciate'. It had never happened to me [before] but it was a strange feeling, I thought: 'That's it, period'. A great, strong pain, the strongest pain I have felt in life.
"Now the hardest part is over. I'm doing rehab, I'm in the swimming pool, the gym. For a footballer, an injury like this can be the most difficult moment of his career but now I just want to train my head to come back stronger than before. I think that's the key thing: the head can do most of the work."