Liverpool’s Right Back Headache Shows No Sign of Easing

Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola expressed hope after the weekend’s shock preseason collapse against Leeds United that right back Jeremie Frimpong is not ruled out through injury.

Frimpong, who has a frustrating history of injuries since joining Liverpool last summer, was withdrawn 77 minutes into the 4–2 loss at Soldier Field in Chicago.

A young Reds team had led 2–0 at halftime, but conceded four times in the final 30 minutes to lose the match. Liverpool allowed two goals in just seven minutes when Frimpong was removed and trailed 3–2, before a late fourth from Leeds.

Iraola revealed to LFCTV that Frimpong “asked for the sub.”

However, his optimism is that the issue is not serious: “I don’t think it’s an injury. It was just some overload and I hope he’s not injured in that way. I don’t think we’ve lost anyone.”

After completing a three-match tour of the United States, beating Sunderland and Wrexham in Nashville and New York respectively earlier on, Liverpool now return home. The next scheduled match of preseason will come at Anfield against Monaco on Aug. 9, after which the Reds play a double header against Como on Aug. 16, the first of them behind closed doors.

Time will tell what Frimpong’s involvement will be and if his “overload” complaint will lead to any missed game time.

Jeremie Frimpong’s Frustrating Liverpool Injury Record

The Dutchman was billed as a smart signing last summer, recruited off the back of several strong seasons in Germany with Bayer Leverkusen, especially as an attack-minded replacement for Trent Alexander-Arnold following his departure to Real Madrid. But he struggled with hamstring injuries throughout 2025–26, even forced off during his debut against Bournemouth.

Frimpong missed 20 club matches because of hamstring and muscle issues overall. His injury record since joining Liverpool is in stark contrast to the rest of his career, with just 11 matches for club and country missed across the previous six years.

Liverpool’s Right Back Headache Continues

Frimpong’s persistent injuries and Conor Bradley’s knee surgery after a freak fall during a clash with Arsenal in January made last season difficult, with those struggles unlikely to ease.

Bradley has been with the squad in America while he continues his individual rehabilitation but is not expected to return to action any time soon. In late July, Iraola implied that the Northern Ireland international, rather than Frimpong, will be his ideal right back when fit.

“I think it is a situation that is tricky because we trust Conor in the long term, we know we want him to be our right back,” the boss explained. “But right now, he’s still, I would say, a little bit far from returning.”

Former Liverpool manager Arne Slot was forced to use Dominik Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones as emergency right backs at times last season. Calvin Ramsay bizarrely couldn’t get a game under Slot, while left back Calum Scanlon replaced Frimpong against Leeds.

At this point, Liverpool are banking on Frimpong to be healthy when the 2026–27 Premier League season opens against Newcastle United on Aug. 23.

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