Liverpool Kicks Off Pre-Season with First Wave of Players
The first day of pre-season is here and Liverpool welcomed back the first wave of players for testing at the AXA Training Centre. It has been 41 days since Liverpool closed out their campaign at Southampton and now they are back preparing for the next season.
Jurgen Klopp cut a tanned and happy figure as he greeted staff at the training ground, commenting on his “brilliant” time off before heading off to start his day. Among the first to greet the manager was Darwin Nunez, who was left out of Marcelo Bielsa’s first international squad in the summer. Pre-season will be his chance to put himself back in contention for Klopp’s starting XI come the trip to Chelsea on August 13.
Joel Matip was also in the building as one of Liverpool’s non-internationals, while Stefan Bajcetic was on the outdoor pitches as he continues his comeback from an adductor stress response. Klopp had previously said that he hoped Bajcetic would be ready for the start of next season.
Liverpool’s two new signings will be part of the second wave on Tuesday before Klopp takes his entire team to Germany for a training camp and two friendlies. In addition, a number of youth players are expected to flesh out the squad in the early days of pre-season.
Players on the First Day of Pre-Season
The first wave of players who returned to Kirkby on Saturday included: Adrian, Pitaluga, Phillips, Gomez, Matip, Fabinho, Bajcetic, Morton, Thiago, Nunez.
The second wave of players who will return on Tuesday include: Alisson, Kelleher, Van Dijk, Konate, Tsimikas, Robertson, Alexander Arnold, Van den Berg, Szoboszlai, Mac Allister, Henderson, Jones, Elliott, Diaz, Salah, Gakpo, Jota.
Youth players likely to join the squad include: Davies, Chambers, Mabaya, Norris, Quansah, Hill, Balagizi, Frauendorf, Clark, Kone-Doherty, Blair, Stewart.
Conclusion
The first day of pre-season is always an exciting time for football fans as teams prepare for the upcoming season. Liverpool welcomed back the first wave of players for testing at the AXA Training Centre and Jurgen Klopp cut a tanned and happy figure as he greeted staff at the training ground.
Darwin Nunez was one of the first to greet the manager and pre-season will be his chance to put himself back in contention for Klopp’s starting XI come the trip to Chelsea on August 13. Joel Matip was also in the building as one of Liverpool’s non-internationals and Stefan Bajcetic was on the outdoor pitches as he continues his comeback from an adductor stress response.
The second wave of players will return on Tuesday before Klopp takes his entire team to Germany for a training camp and two friendlies. In addition, a number of youth players are expected to flesh out the squad in the early days of pre-season.
With pre-season now underway, fans can look forward to an exciting season ahead for Liverpool.