Liverpool deliver serious blow, midfielder will have to leave

Liverpool have dealt a serious blow to one of their own players. There's no real option here: he'll have to leave the club if he wants regular football.

Liverpool confirmed their UEFA Champions League squad this week ahead of their competition kick-off against Atlético Madrid. The Reds sprung a couple of surprises in there, too.

Notably, neither Federico Chiesa nor Wataru Endo were included. They cannot play in the competition going forward and it's a hell of statement from the club.

It's no giant shock with Chiesa. Liverpool have now got a number of wingers, all of whom are ahead of him in the pecking order, and the Italian is currently injured. Perhaps it would have been more of a surprise if he were included in the group.

For Endo, though, it's a massive blow. Liverpool simply don't have another defensive midfielder in the squad and yet they've still decided to exclude him from the group - a sign that they have no intentions of using him.

But why? Liverpool have demonstrated over their opening two fixtures that having someone who can plug the middle of the pitch would be a massive benefit, even if it's just to hold onto a bit of control late on.

Endo, though, isn't wanted for the role. Even when there's a need and he the only specialist, Liverpool would rather use square pegs. And that's about as big a confirmation as you can get that there's no real future at the club.

The Reds will almost certainly call on Endo for the EFL Cup and, if he's still around, the opening rounds of the FA Cup. It's difficult to imagine him getting Premier League minutes, though, and the Champions League is now ruled out.

We expect this is it for Endo's Liverpool story, then. He'll likely push for a January move away in order to get one last significant role before the end of his career - if that's what he wants, of course.