Liverpool secured a 4-2 victory over Sunderland in their pre-season friendly in Nashville on Saturday.
However, the match highlighted a growing concern for the Reds: defensive injuries and a work permit issue for young center-back Ifeanyi Ndukwe.
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The 18-year-old was forced into action early after Joe Gomez suffered an injury in the 10th minute.
Ndukwe, who joined Liverpool from Austria Vienna for £2.5 million, partnered with fellow teenager Mor Talla Ndiaye in central defense.
Despite his performance, Ndukwe will be unable to play in competitive matches this season. Post-Brexit regulations require non-UK players to meet specific criteria under a points-based system.
Because Ndukwe's prior experience was limited to Austria Wien's reserve team in lower leagues, he fell short of the threshold.
A loan move to a top-tier European club is now likely.
Iraola Addresses Injury Woes
Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola expressed concern over the squad's mounting defensive injuries.
The team already has long-term absentee Giovanni Leoni, and Virgil van Dijk remains on break following the 2026 World Cup.
"Probably the worst news has been straight away the injury of Joe.
We were happy because we were going through training without losing any players and unluckily for us we've lost Joe straight away," Iraola said.
Iraola also addressed the status of new recruit Jeremy Jacquet, who was held out of the squad as a precaution due to a shoulder issue.
"With Jeremy we decided to take it easy with him.
