Liverpool's preparations for their Champions League match against Villarreal were overshadowed by an injury scare involving Victor Munoz, who was absent from training on Monday. Munoz played a crucial role in the team's Premier League victory against Brentford over the weekend, where he scored the equalizer. However, he required treatment twice during that match before being substituted for Joe Gomez.
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Manager Andoni Iraola is already dealing with injuries to Dominik Szoboszlai and Jeremie Frimpong, who were both injured during the win at Brentford. Long-term injuries to Conor Bradley, Giovanni Leoni, and Hugo Ekitike mean that Liverpool is facing a depth issue, prompting the need to include academy players in their squad for the Champions League fixture.
Among the youngsters joining the substitutes bench is Michael Laffey, the under-21s captain, who has previously appeared in the EFL Trophy. He has only seen senior action as an unused substitute in last season's League Cup. Also participating in Monday's training session were left-back Luke Chambers and midfielder James McConnell, both of whom have made appearances for the first team this season, along with striker Jayden Danns.
Federico Chiesa was present at training despite not being included in Liverpool's squad for the initial phase of the Champions League, while Wataru Endo, who is also ineligible, was not part of the session.