Injury jinx costs 20-year-old Liverpool forward his big chance

Alexander Isak started the 2026/27 Premier League season with considerable swagger.

The £125m signing from Newcastle was injured and out of form during his first season at Anfield. Having experienced a proper preseason however he hit the ground running for Andoni Iraola.

The 27-year-old scored four top-flight goals before jetting out for international games with Sweden. Liverpool have suffered a setback however with the news that Isak would be sidelined with a minor injury picked up on international duty.

Lewis Koumas gets the nod

Iraola is already having to contend with the loss of Hugo Ekitike - with the Frenchman not expected to be back fit until around the turn of the year.

And any hopes the Reds will have had of turning to Cody Gakpo as an interim option at No9 have also been dashed.

The Dutchman was hurt during international duty for the Netherlands - leaving Iraola with a massive striking headache ahead of the Manchester City game on Sunday.

Lewis Koumas - a versatile young attacker - would be given the nod at No9. He is a relative novice in the position - particularly at Premier League level and given the scale of spending it’s not ideal that the Merseysiders have such scant options up top right now.

Injury dashes Danns hopes

And one player who may well be ruing an injury at a crucial time is Jayden Danns. Liverpool lost against Doncaster in the EFL Trophy during the week with 20-year-old forward Danns conspicuous by his absence.

Fielding questions after the game under-21 head coach Rob Page confirmed an injury concern for the promising frontman.

"He pulled up in training last week and felt something and wasn't quite comfortable," Page said according to the Liverpool Echo.

"So we're not going to take any chances, there's no need at all.

"He is all right, he has been training but we didn't think it was a risk we wanted to take. He's fit, and we thought it was better for him to have two training days rather than half-an-hour or 45 minutes in this game."

Another watershed moment for injury-hit Danns

There’s every chance that Danns may have had an opportunity to showcase his credentials in the game against City on Sunday were it not for the latest injury strain.

He’s already featured 10 times for Liverpool at senior level - scoring three goals - and hopes are high for what he might achieve in the game. But timing has never been kind to the forward - who has suffered from extensive injury trouble in his short career so far.

Instead of priming himself for a go against City he has been left kicking his heels and hoping to get back in once again at underage level.

This is another crossroads moment in the young career of Jayden Danns - who seemingly cannot compile a run of luck in terms of injuries at the moment.