Iraola refused to close the door on their return when he met the press on Thursday, two days before Liverpool travel to west London in Premier League action.

“It’s early for us to say, we still have to train tomorrow. Obviously they were not ready for yesterday night, so we have to wait and see,” Iraola told reporters.

“I think it is still very early but, the same way I said that they were not available for the previous games, I leave the chance open this time, yes.”

Isak picked up a thigh problem on international duty and Gakpo an ankle issue, while Szoboszlai returned from Hungary’s Nations League matches with tightness that then turned into a hamstring problem.

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The manager had already explained the Hungary midfielder’s situation after the City loss.

“Dom came from the national team with tightness, an overload. We put him as a floater in the training sessions and tried to protect him, but he was feeling something very small,” he said at Anfield.

Six days without the trio

Liverpool have reshaped a first-choice XI twice in six days without the three players. Manchester City won 3-0 at Anfield on 11 October, per ESPN’s match report, and Iraola took a rebuilt squad to Linz three days later and watched Liverpool put LASK away 6-3 in the Champions League, with Bradley Barcola scoring a hat-trick and Ronald Araújo, Jeremie Frimpong and Lewis Koumas adding the others.

One training session left

Thursday’s press briefing leaves only Friday on the grass before the squad travels. Iraola, who succeeded Arne Slot in the summer and inherited Szoboszlai and Gakpo from Slot’s squad, was unwilling to firm up any names before he had seen more at the training ground.

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Isak joined Liverpool in the 2025 summer window and had been fit through Iraola’s opening weeks in charge until the international break.

Brentford host Liverpool at the Gtech Community Stadium with a 3pm local time kick-off on Saturday.

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