Mohamed Salah will headline the opening day of Arne Slot’s inaugural pre-season at Liverpool, with up to 16 first-team player
Mohamed Salah will headline the opening day of Arne Slot’s inaugural pre-season at Liverpool, with up to 16 first-team players expected to report for duty.
Liverpool’s players are scheduled to return to the AXA Training Centre in the first week of July. However, new head coach Slot won’t have the entire squad available initially.
Ten players are currently participating in the European Championship, and another four are set to compete in the Copa America in the United States. These players will rejoin the squad later in the summer.
Nonetheless, Slot will have at least 16 senior players to work with on the first day of pre-season.
Salah stands out as the most prominent player returning initially, though his training may be disrupted if he gets called up by Egypt for the Olympics.
The Olympic football tournament runs from July 24 to August 10, potentially delaying the return of involved players until a week before the Premier League kicks off.
Liverpool are not required to release their players for the Olympics, which could result in them preventing call-ups for Wataru Endo and Stefan Bajcetic, who are also slated to return on the first day.
Other regular first-team members expected to report back at the start of July include Caoimhin Kelleher, Kostas Tsimikas, Jarell Quansah, Conor Bradley, Curtis Jones, and Harvey Elliott.
Young talents Bobby Clark, James McConnell, and Ben Doak are also likely to join, although Liverpool might consider loan moves for the trio.
Fabio Carvalho, Sepp van den Berg, Rhys Williams, and Nat Phillips are scheduled to return for pre-season as well, but their futures with the club are uncertain.
The 16-man squad could expand if Adrian agrees to a new contract, and Slot is expected to rely on the youth ranks to bolster the group.
Goalkeepers Harvey Davies and Fabian Mrozek, defenders Amara Nallo, Owen Beck, Luke Chambers, Carter Pinnington, and Calum Scanlon, midfielders Tyler Morton and Trey Nyoni, and forwards Jayden Danns, Lewis Koumas, and Kaide Gordon are likely to be included.
Liverpool will embark on a pre-season tour in the United States, facing Real Betis on July 27, Arsenal on August 1, and Manchester United on August 4.
Projected Liverpool squad for the first day of pre-season:
Goalkeepers: Kelleher, Adrian* (if he signs a new contract), Davies, Mrozek
Defenders: Quansah, Phillips, Van den Berg, Williams, Nallo, Pinnington, Bradley, Tsimikas, Beck, Chambers, Scanlon
Midfielders: Endo, Jones, Elliott, Bajcetic, Clark, McConnell, Morton, Nyoni
Forwards: Salah, Carvalho, Doak, Danns, Koumas, Gordon
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