Jayden Danns has suffered another injury setback after making his first senior appearance since January in midweek, with Liverpool left to hope for a short-term absence.
Danns came off the bench to play the final 15 minutes of Liverpool’s Carabao Cup victory in midweek, nearly eight months on from his last first-team appearance.
The 19-year-old then backed up that appearance with a start for Rob Page’s U21s on Saturday, but he was withdrawn after only 30 minutes having pulled up following a free-kick.
The severity is not yet known with tests still to determine how many games he will miss, but as the Echo‘s Ian Doyle reports, he has already been ruled out of the trip to Galatasaray.
The striker was unlikely to feature with Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak available, but the teenager was among the substitutes against Atletico Madrid earlier in the month.
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Arne Slot also now has Federico Chiesa available to him in the Champions League after he replaced Giovanni Leoni in the squad following his ACL injury.
There will be fingers crossed that Danns’ latest issue is not serious after a series of fitness issues that have plagued his development since his breakout.
A loan to Sunderland was thwarted in the second half of last season due to a persistent back issue that was managed into the summer before making his return late in pre-season.
The 19-year-old showed glimpses of why he is highly thought of against Southampton in midweek, and would be eyeing another opportunity in the next round against Crystal Palace in late October.
Liverpool will treat Danns with care, such is his fitness record, but the October international break could offer a timely period to limit the number of games he could miss for Liverpool.