Liverpool may have avoided a major injury setback involving Dominik Szoboszlai, with Hungarian doctor Gyorgy Bakanek suggesting that the midfielder could have faced up to six months on the sidelines if his condition had worsened.
Szoboszlai missed Liverpool’s 3-0 defeat to Manchester City at the weekend. According to Bakanek, resting the midfielder was probably the right decision, as it may have prevented a more serious hamstring injury.
“It’s probably the case that Dominik was in pain, which is why he’s sitting out a match or two now, thereby preventing his hamstring from tearing and ruling him out for six months, which shows he’s taking a cautious approach,” Bakanek explained.
The doctor also believes the Hungarian international could return to action relatively soon, with recovery expected to take between seven and ten days.
“This strain can be treated with massage and various remedies, and recovery is likely to take around seven to ten days,” he added.
Szoboszlai did not travel for Wednesday evening’s Champions League fixture against LASK. Given Bakanek’s recovery estimate, the midfielder could also miss Liverpool’s meeting with Brentford this weekend.
However, a return against Villarreal next Tuesday remains a possibility, depending on how well his recovery progresses.
Meanwhile, Szoboszlai is among six Liverpool first-team players currently dealing with injuries.
Cody Gakpo and Alexander Isak picked up ankle and thigh injuries respectively during the international break. Head coach Andoni Iraola has indicated that both players could return within the next one or two weeks.
Giovanni Leoni, who has been recovering from an ACL injury, is reportedly approaching his first full training session in 13 months. Conor Bradley, meanwhile, is expected to remain unavailable for several more weeks because of a knee problem.
Hugo Ekitike is targeting a return in December after suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon. However, Iraola has suggested that January could be a more realistic timeframe for the forward’s comeback.
