Liverpool fans could potentially get a long-overdue glimpse of one player in action against Atletico Madrid at Anfield tonight.Andoni Iraola has named a starting XI in the Champions League for the first time, and the headline news is the inclusion of Bradley Barcola for his full Reds debut nine days after joining from Paris Saint-Germain for an initial £106m.Cody Gakpo misses out on a precautionary basis after he sat out training on Tuesday, although there’s a very welcome return to the matchday squad for another forward at LFC.Jayden Danns makes long-awaited senior return for LiverpoolVictor Munoz and Lewis Koumas are two of the three attackers on the bench for Liverpool tonight. The other is Jayden Danns, who hasn’t played for the Reds’ first team since the Carabao Cup win over Southampton last September.A full 50 weeks later, the 20-year-old is named among the substitutes against Atletico, having made a couple of appearances for the under-21s in recent weeks at the outset of their Premier League 2 campaign (Transfermarkt).(Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)Want more Empire of the Kop coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trustDanns has been ravaged by injury for a cruelly long timeIt’s now been more than two-and-a-half years since Danns’ fairytale week to launch his Liverpool career, with his senior debut against Luton quickly followed by Carabao Cup final glory against Chelsea at Wembley and two goals in an FA Cup win over Southampton.His other first-team strike also came in that tournament against Accrington Stanley in January 2025, when BBC pundit Marc Albrighton lauded the youngster’s ‘brilliant‘ finishing ability.Sadly, the past couple of years have seen the forward ravaged by injury, with his comeback for the under-21s in March after six months out cut short as he was struck down by another hamstring issue.It seems unlikely that Danns will get game-time tonight after so long out of first-team action, and he probably wouldn’t have made the matchday squad had Gakpo been fit, but even his inclusion among the substitutes marks a significant step forward for him.Hopefully he might be cleared to start in what’ll likely be a heavily rotated line-up for the Carabao Cup tie against Tottenham Hotspur next Tuesday, if he doesn’t manage to get off the bench against Atletico or Fulham in the meantime.The post ‘Brilliant’ Liverpool gem could make first senior appearance in 50 weeks against Atletico tonight appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.