Andoni Iraola confirms two players out of opening game of the season

Andoni Iraola is currently in the United States with his Liverpool squad plotting for the season ahead.

The Reds will play preseason fixtures Stateside against Sunderland, Wrexham and Leeds United before finishing their summer preparations on home soil.

Liverpool - who won the 2024/25 Premier League title - have made some big changes during the offseason. We’ve seen Iraola replace Arne Slot as head coach while Michael Edwards has left his role as FSG CEO of Football.

The Anfield club have managed to get some transfer deals over the line - finalising their agreement with Rennes for the £60m signing of Jeremy Jacquet and recruiting the £34m FIFA World Cup winner Victor Munoz.

Liverpool already looking short

Nonetheless the squad looks especially thin heading into the 2026/27 campaign - with Andy Robertson, Ibrahima Konate and Mohamed Salah all absent.

The strength of the squad is going to be tested early in the season with the likes of Conor Bradley and Hugo Ekitike remaining long-term injury absentees.

Unless Liverpool can get some new faces in nice and quickly Iraola is facing the opening stages of the season undermanned.

Mac Allister and Munoz won't play versus Newcastle

And he has confirmed that two MORE players will be out of the opening exchanges of the season - the assignment against Newcastle United in the Premier League on August 23.

Although Munoz didn’t play a minute for Spain as they won the World Cup he had a long summer being involved with the squad and even had to shake off an injury during the tournament.

Alexis Mac Allister - a beaten finalist with Argentina - on the other hand was extremely busy for his national team and headed into the tournament looking like a player in need of a rest.

Iraola has now stated that because he is taking a long-term view of things that neither was likely to be involved versus the Toon at St. James’ Park.

Macca and Munoz need a rest says Iraola

“In the end, I think the most difficult situations logically will be Alexis and Victor because they played until the end of the tournament, so I think they deserve their holidays and some rest also,” he said according to the club’s official website.

“I hope they have time to at least train with us a little bit, but it is true that it will probably affect the beginning of the season a little bit. We cannot only think in the short term and the first game against Newcastle; we have to also understand, especially in the case of Alexis, who played a lot of minutes during the season and a lot of minutes in the World Cup, that they deserve this rest.

“All the others should be fine to arrive in perfect conditions to the first game.”