Liverpool Lunchtime Round-Up, Friday 13th November 2026: Szoboszlai Manages Knee Injury on Hungary Duty as Wirtz Faces Fresh Scrutiny
Dominik Szoboszlai has been managing a knee injury picked up in Liverpool's 3-1 win over Crystal Palace last week, but he still took part in open training with Hungary as they prepare for their Nations League trip to Georgia, with the Hungarian coaching staff keeping tabs on his fitness during the international break (Liverpool Echo) (Liverpool.com).
Ronald Araujo has been speaking about his season-long loan move from Barcelona, saying he prepared himself for the switch and that he has his sights set on winning silverware at Anfield (Liverpool Echo). Elsewhere, Araujo has also made a striking admission about his current form, according to Goal (Goal).
Florian Wirtz has opened up on the influence Jurgen Klopp still has on him, revealing he messages the former Liverpool boss and draws confidence from his continued interest in his Anfield career (Liverpool Echo). Not everyone is convinced by his performances though, with calls renewed for Andoni Iraola to drop him after they were branded unacceptable by a former Red (Liverpool.com), while Danny Murphy has claimed Iraola will be forced into a "brutal" call on a Liverpool player not warranting their place, with Wirtz again the subject of Murphy's concerns (Football365) (TeamTalk).
On France duty, Bradley Barcola was played up front again as they suffered a rare defeat to Italy in the Nations League, with Zinedine Zidane coming to his defence afterwards despite the Liverpool forward still searching for his best form this season (Liverpool.com) (This Is Anfield). Team-mate Jeremy Jacquet also had a tough evening in that game, with French media in agreement that it was a night to forget for both Liverpool men as Zidane suffered his first loss in charge (Liverpool.com).
In academy news, Rio Ngumoha featured for England as they set up a "winner takes all" clash with Victor Munoz's Spain (This Is Anfield), and he also gave an insight into his game in a Premier League 'Big Interview', discussing his fearless approach and versatility (LiverpoolFC.com). Lewis Koumas and Trey Nyoni, meanwhile, surprised pupils at Maghull High School as part of an LFC Foundation 'Onside' session (LiverpoolFC.com).
Liverpool's Women's team will be back in action this weekend, visiting Brighton in the Women's Super League on Saturday, following last week's 1-2 defeat to Arsenal and this week's 4-1 League Cup win over Aston Villa.
On the business side, Liverpool are reported to have identified a Brighton star as a dream target for 2027, though Leeds are said to be moving to beat them to a deal (TeamTalk), while a reported Premier League move for a centre-back has been rejected, with the player said not to be a priority for the club (This Is Anfield).
Finally, former vice-captain James Milner is set to return to Anfield for a charity match, with tickets priced at £29.50 for adults, £19.50 for concessions and £9.50 for juniors (Liverpool Echo), while there's been fan debate over the importance of tying Virgil van Dijk down to a new contract beyond this summer (BBC Sport). Andy Robertson has also been in the headlines, with Duncan Ferguson revealing Everton had a plan to sign him before he joined Liverpool (Liverpool.com), and a claim that the full-back is set to break a Kenny Dalglish all-time record (This Is Anfield).
This round-up is written with the help of AI, using only the day's headlines from the publishers credited above. Each point links to the original report — tap the source name to read it in full.
