The ink was barely dry on Victor Muñoz’s six-year Liverpool contract before the first dark cloud of his Anfield career rolled in.
Just hours after Liverpool confirmed the £34.5 million capture of the Osasuna winger making him the landmark first signing of the Andoni Iraola era disaster struck on World Cup duty.
The Spanish Football Federation confirmed that the 22-year-old has suffered a significant setback in his recovery from a muscle injury, casting a major shadow over his World Cup campaign and giving his new club an immediate medical headache.
Anfield’s new era hits an immediate snag
Liverpool triggered Muñoz’s £34.5 million release clause on Wednesday after a fierce transfer battle. Newcastle United pushed incredibly hard for his signature, even going as far as tentsatively scheduling a medical, before Liverpool executives pipped their Premier League rivals to the post.
By Thursday evening, the club officially unveiled Muñoz. Yet, the celebratory mood on Merseyside evaporated within hours.
Muñoz had already sat out Spain’s frustrating 0-0 opening draw against Cape Verde due to a lingering fitness concern. While he returned to light training earlier in the week as lawyers finalised his move to Anfield, his muscle injury flared up almost immediately after the transfer went public.
Spanish media outlet Cadena SER reports that Muñoz will almost certainly miss the remainder of the group stage. Doctors hope he might return if Spain secures qualification to the knockout rounds, but everyone at Melwood will be watching his updates with bated breath.
A crisis For club and country
The timing could not be worse for Spain or their national coach.
Reporter Ricky Dias described the injury as the “worst possible blow,” particularly as Spain already facing a minor crisis on the flanks. Both Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams are struggling for full fitness, only managing brief cameo appearances in the stalemated opener against Cape Verde.
Spain face a crucial Group H clash against Saudi Arabia on Sunday, before a potentially decisive showdown with Uruguay next Saturday. They must navigate both matches without their newest Premier League star.
For Iraola, the news triggers an all-too-familiar anxiety. Liverpool suffered wretched luck with injuries last season, and the medical staff are already managing a bleak situation in the forward line.
Striker Hugo Ekitike will miss most of the first half of the upcoming campaign as he slowly rehabilitates an Achilles rupture.
While the club expects Alexander Isak to banish his own fitness demons with a full pre-season—after a freak leg fracture disrupted his momentum last year the news of Muñoz’s immediate breakdown is an incredibly bitter pill to swallow.
Fans are already questioning whether this signing signals a continuation of the club’s recent medical curse.
An emotional farewell
Before the injury update deflated the mood, Muñoz took to Instagram to pen a classy, emotional farewell to the Osasuna faithful, reflecting on a breakout season that convinced Liverpool to bring him to England.
It is a cruel, rollercoaster 24 hours for the young forward. He should be celebrating the biggest milestone of his professional life. Instead, he faces a lonely room in the treatment centre, desperate to rescue his World Cup dream before he can even think about pulling on a Liverpool shirt.
