Manu Kone has once again emerged as a potential option as Liverpool aim to strengthen their midfield this summer.
Kone was compared to Frenkie De Jong when the Reds were first linked with the midfielder back in 2023.
Meanwhile, there have been suggestions emerging from Italy that Liverpool must pay €60m to sign the Frenchman, who suffered five separate injuries in 2025/26.
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Manu Kone had five injury issues in 2025/26
After the links re-emerged, Rousing The Kop asked our fans if they’d be happy to pay that sum for the AS Roma talent.
However, a number quickly expressed concern about his injury woes:
- “My worry is based on injuries”
- “€60m with a dodgy knee?”
- “He’s injury-prone”
- “No – injury record”
- “He’s injury-prone.”
Kone began his senior career in France, with Toulouse, where he suffered four separate injuries in 2019/20 alone.
He eventually left Ligue 1 for German side Borussia Monchengladbach, and that is where the problems really started.
Kone was out for 133 days during his second season at the club after suffering from four separate problems.
Meanwhile, this past campaign saw the midfielder pick up five separate knocks, ruling him out for 13 games:
| Season | Total days missed | Number of injuries | Total games missed |
| 2025/26 | 75 days | 5 | 13 |
| 2024/25 | 5 days | 1 | 1 |
| 2023/24 | 44 days | 3 | 5 |
| 2022/23 | 133 days | 4 | 7 |
| 2021/22 | 64 days | 1 | 4 |
| 2019/20 | 47 days | 4 | 9 |
In turn, it is easy to see why some Liverpool fans are sceptical about a move, especially given how many injury issues their side suffered last season.
Alexander Isak missed most of the campaign, while Hugo Ekitike, Conor Bradley and Giovanni Leoni remain sidelined and will miss the start of the 2026 pre-season.
The ongoing issues forced Arne Slot to use players like Dominik Szoboszlai out of position, and signing another injury-prone star would make little sense.
Alternatively, someone like Adam Wharton, who is on Liverpool’s radar, missed just three games last season, with two of those because of an illness, rather than a physical problem.
Elsewhere, Alex Scott, another player liked by the Reds, didn’t miss a single match due to injury in 2025/26.
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