UEFA rule prevents Liverpool from naming Wataru Endo replacement in Champions League squad

Liverpool must face the knockout phase of this season’s Champions League without the safety net of replacing injured midfielder Wataru Endo after UEFA regulations closed the window for squad alterations.

Endo, 31, sustained what manager Arne Slot termed a “serious” problem while deputising at right-back during the Reds’ win at Sunderland. Post-match, Slot delivered sobering news: “I assume he will be out for a long, long time. What is long, it is difficult to say at this moment, but you can hardly believe what this right full-back position brings us this season.”

The Japan international’s versatility had become critical; although signed as a central midfielder, he had been covering both right-back and centre-back, areas where injuries have already stretched Liverpool thin. With the squad now locked for the remainder of the tournament, the club cannot draft in a like-for-like replacement.

UEFA’s Rule 31.14.c permits one outfield change for long-term injury or illness, yet that clause expired after the first six fixtures of the league phase. Liverpool progressed to the last-16 automatically by finishing inside the top eight, but the cutoff for senior reinforcements has passed.

Slot’s only remaining option is the B list, restricted to players born on or after 1 January 2004 who have been with the club for an uninterrupted two-year spell since turning 15. Those criteria bar any established first-team names, leaving Liverpool with 19 senior players to negotiate the latter stages.

The draw for the round of 16—and potential quarter-final and semi-final brackets—will be made on Friday, 27 February at 08:30 CET (07:30 GMT). Liverpool could meet Atlético Madrid, Club Brugge, Galatasaray or Juventus when the competition resumes next month.