Liverpool news as John W Henry breaks five-year silence and injury update issued

• 

• Liverpool FC News
• Features
• Liverpool FC

Liverpool lost 2-1 to Brighton on Saturday as the Merseyside club's Champions League qualification hopes hang in the balance; there is now a two-week international break

John W. Henry has broken his social media silence(Image: Getty Images)

The international break will seem longer than two weeks for Liverpool fans following another Premier League setback.

The Reds suffered a 2-1 defeat at Brighton on Saturday, marking a remarkable 10th league loss of the campaign. While the reigning league champions remain in contention for Champions League qualification for next season, they now trail fourth-placed Aston Villa by five points, who returned to winning form against West Ham at the weekend.

With the likes of Everton, Manchester United, Chelsea, Brentford and Villa still to feature in its final seven league games, Liverpool will need to reverse its fortunes quickly if it wishes to compete in Europe's elite competition.

Ahead of the two-week respite for Reds supporters, Liverpool.com looks at the latest headlines from Anfield...

Henry breaks silence

Liverpool owner John W. Henry rarely engages with social media, but the 76-year-old billionaire appeared on the X platform for the first time in five years to send a message to a Boston Globe reporter — the newspaper Henry has owned since 2014.

Dan Shaughnessy, a Boston Red Sox columnist for the publication, reversed his criticism of NESN, a television network that is 80 percent owned by Fenway Sports Group, after acknowledging he had misinterpreted a story.

John W. Henry posted on X on Monday(Image: Getty Images)

In response to the reporter's post, Henry simply wrote: "Historic." While it remains unclear what the businessman intended by his comment, it's possible he was making light of the reporter's change of position.

Chiesa statement

Federico Chiesa has endured a difficult time since his transfer to Liverpool, and this appears set to continue after he withdrew from the Italy squad just days following his call-up to the national team for the first time in nearly two years.

The 29-year-old was selected by Gennaro Gattuso for the World Cup qualifier against Northern Ireland on Thursday and a potential playoff final fixture against the winners of Wales and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

However, the winger has pulled out of the squad due to fitness issues that have hindered his progress since his arrival at Anfield in 2024.

The Italian FA confirmed in a statement: "Federico Chiesa was assessed on arrival at the Federal Technical Centre and deemed unavailable for the next two matches.

"In agreement with his club, he has left the squad. Bologna winger Nicolo Cambiaghi has been called up as his replacement."

Chiesa had previously instructed Gattuso against selecting him unless he was "100 percent."

The forward hasn't featured for his nation since his transfer to the Reds from Juventus, with his most recent international appearances occurring at Euro 2024.