Liverpool Gambles on Ekitike's Recovery for Champions League
Liverpool have taken a bold gamble on Hugo Ekitike’s recovery, naming the long‑term absentee in their 25-man Champions League squad while leaving out senior pair Federico Chiesa and Wataru Endo.
Ekitike has not played since rupturing his Achilles in April, a serious injury that usually wipes out most of a calendar year. The French striker underwent surgery and has been working his way back, but Liverpool have deliberately avoided putting a public date on his return. As recently as September 3, the club’s official channels stressed there was no set timeframe.
Andoni Iraola clearly sees it differently.
The Liverpool manager has pushed Ekitike into his European plans for the League Phase, a move that signals real belief that the 22-year-old can feature before the group-style stage ends. Liverpool’s final League Phase fixture comes against RC Lens at Anfield on January 27. Ekitike’s inclusion points to one thing: Iraola expects him to be available by then, or at least wants that option on the table.
Chiesa and Endo pay the price
That faith in Ekitike comes at a cost. Two established internationals are on the outside looking in.
Federico Chiesa has been omitted despite being on the verge of a return. The Italian winger is currently sidelined but is expected back in training after the September international break. Under different circumstances, that timeline might have made him a lock for the squad. Not this time.
Wataru Endo, meanwhile, is fully fit. He still misses out. No injury caveats, no fitness excuses. Iraola has simply chosen to go another way in midfield.
The decision underlines how far Endo’s stock has fallen at Anfield. He remains available for domestic competitions, as does Chiesa, but neither looks set for meaningful minutes. Their paths appear to be narrowing, not widening, as the season beds in.
Jamie Carragher had already sounded the alarm. Speaking on The Overlap, the former Liverpool defender did not sugar-coat his view of their prospects.
“Liverpool have got two players in the squad who are never going to play,” he said. “They have got Chiesa and Endo. It’s like they are never going to kick a ball. Endo should have been moved on. He has done great, a bit of a cult hero.”
Those comments landed hard at the time. Iraola’s Champions League list makes them look less like punditry and more like a blunt reading of the internal pecking order.
A clear message from Iraola
The Champions League squad is often a snapshot of a manager’s true thinking. No rotation talk, no sentiment. Just 25 names he trusts for Europe.
By backing an injured Ekitike and freezing out two fit, experienced internationals, Iraola has drawn his line. He is prepared to wait for the Frenchman’s power and penalty-box presence. He is far less inclined to bend his plans around Chiesa’s recovery or Endo’s reliability.
If Ekitike does make it back in time to step out at Anfield against Lens in late January, the decision will look inspired. If he doesn’t, questions over Chiesa and Endo’s exclusion will only grow louder.
For now, the message is stark: Liverpool’s European future, in Iraola’s eyes, belongs to the next wave, not the nearly-men.
