Andoni Iraola has admitted he does not know when Alexander Isak, Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai will be available again, with all three still unable to train with the rest of the Liverpool squad.
The trio were left out of the 23-man travelling party for Wednesday’s clash with LASK in Austria, having also missed Sunday’s defeat to Manchester City following fitness problems sustained during the international break.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference in Linz, Iraola suggested their recoveries were progressing but stopped short of offering any assurances about their availability for the forthcoming fixtures.
“They are not far,” he said, although he confirmed that none of the three had returned to group training.
Asked whether they could feature against Brentford on Saturday, Villarreal next Tuesday or Brighton, the Liverpool boss was unable to provide a definite answer.
“I don’t know if they are going to be ready for Brentford, for Villarreal, for Brighton, I don’t know. I don’t really know.”
Earlier, Milos Kerkez had offered a slightly more encouraging assessment of Szoboszlai’s situation, saying his teammate was recovering and would be eager to play against Brentford. However, Iraola’s comments suggest there is still considerable uncertainty surrounding his return.
The Liverpool manager also indicated that changes are likely for the Champions League encounter with LASK, with the demanding fixture schedule beginning to influence his team selections.
“Tomorrow is a game that we want to win, we need to win,” Iraola explained, before acknowledging that fatigue and minor fitness concerns could make it difficult to field the same starting eleven.
Wednesday’s match is the second of nine fixtures Liverpool face in just 28 days, with a Premier League trip to Brentford followed by Villarreal’s visit to Anfield.
Conor Bradley, Hugo Ekitike and Giovanni Leoni remain sidelined, while Federico Chiesa and Wataru Endo are unavailable for the European fixture after being omitted from the league-phase squad.
For now, Liverpool supporters are left waiting for further news on three important players, with Iraola unable to guarantee that any of them will be ready for Saturday.
