Liverpool Signs Victor Munoz: Injury Concern Arises
Liverpool have their first signing of the 2026/27 season – and, already, a problem.
Victor Munoz, the 22-year-old Spain winger, has completed a six-year move to Anfield after sporting director Richard Hughes activated his €40m release clause at Osasuna. The deal, struck swiftly and decisively, was designed to steal a march on Newcastle. It did. But it has arrived with an immediate sting in the tail.
Liverpool win the race – and pay a premium
Munoz only joined Osasuna in 2025 from Real Madrid, where Los Blancos inserted a buyback clause. Madrid chose not to use it, clearing a clean path for Liverpool to move. The Premier League champions did not hesitate.
At the urging of head coach Andoni Iraola, Liverpool triggered the clause, agreeing to pay the €40m fee in two instalments, with Real Madrid due to receive half of the proceeds. For a player who came through the Barcelona academy before moving to Madrid and then Osasuna, it is another sharp turn in a young but eventful career.
Newcastle had believed they were close to a deal of their own. Liverpool simply moved faster. A familiar story in recent windows.
Medical drama at Spain camp
The formalities took place in unusual surroundings. Munoz underwent his medical at Spain’s FIFA World Cup training facilities on Wednesday, according to multiple reports, after linking up with the national team.
He had reported for duty carrying a hamstring complaint, but the expectation inside the Spain camp was optimistic: rest, treatment, and he should be ready in time for their second group game.
Spain opened with a 1-1 draw against Cape Verde and face Saudi Arabia on Sunday, a fixture many had earmarked as Munoz’s first real stage of the tournament. Instead, the narrative has turned sharply.
The Spanish football federation (RFEF) has confirmed a setback in his recovery. During the planned, individualised rehab work, Munoz suffered an additional muscle injury that will delay his return to competition.
The statement, carried by Marca, was blunt: his involvement in upcoming matches will depend entirely on how his symptoms evolve. For now, he is ruled out of the Saudi Arabia game on Sunday June 21, and his prospects deeper into the World Cup are in serious doubt.
A familiar chill for Liverpool
For Hughes and Iraola, the news lands with an all-too-familiar chill. There is no question over Munoz’s long-term fitness, no suggestion that Liverpool have signed a chronic injury case. But timing matters. Optics matter. And at Anfield, the word “injury” attached to a new signing feels like a grim echo.
Last season, Liverpool’s fresh faces were repeatedly hit. Giovanni Leoni, Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike all suffered long-term problems in their first year at the club. Others, including Jeremie Frimpong and Giorgi Mamardashvili, endured their own spells on the treatment table.
What should have been a clean slate this summer – new season, new signings, a chance to bed in early and build rhythm – has already been nudged off course. Barely 24 hours after Munoz completed his €40m move, the so‑called “curse” of Liverpool’s new arrivals has been dragged back into conversation.
High stakes for club and country
For Spain, the concern is immediate. A World Cup campaign is short, unforgiving, and squad depth can quickly be tested. Munoz’s pace and directness offered a different dimension from the bench, if not from the start. Now, the coaching staff must plan without him, at least for the short term, and possibly for the duration.
For Liverpool, the horizon is longer but no less intense. They have invested heavily in a winger expected to bring electricity to the flanks, stretch games, and fit Iraola’s aggressive, front-foot style. Every week of pre-season will matter. Every training session missed chips away at the smooth integration they had hoped for.
The club will take comfort in the medical assessments that this is a setback, not a long-term red flag. The deal is done, the talent is undeniable, and the contract runs for six years. There is time.
But in a squad that knows all too well how quickly an injury narrative can snowball, Munoz’s first days as a Liverpool player have already underlined one thing: when he finally does pull on that red shirt in the Premier League, there will be no easing quietly into the background. All eyes will be on how his body – and his game – stand up to the demands that await.
