Liverpool will welcome back a host of their big names on Tuesday as their pre-season preparations ramp up.
Summer signings Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister will be among 14 players who will return to the AXA Training Centre ahead of the club's pre-season tour. They were given an extended break due to their involvements with their respective countries over the summer.
Skipper Jordan Henderson will be joined by compatriot Trent Alexander-Arnold in returning alongside Alisson Becker, Luis Diaz, Cody Gakpo, Diogo Jota, Caoimhin Kelleher, Ibrahima Konate, Alexis Mac Allister, Andy Robertson, Mohamed Salah, Kostas Tsimikas and Virgil van Dijk.
English duo Harvey Elliott and Curtis Jones, who both played leading roles for England as they claimed glory at the U21 European Championships, have been afforded more time off with their international duty only coming to an end at the weekend.
Last week several men returned to the Kirby-training base including Darwin Nunez and Thiago, who has been linked with a move to Saudi Arabia. Fringe players, including Adrian and Nathaniel Phillips, were also back in action alongside Fabinho, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip.
The Merseyside outfit have five pre-season friendlies lined up, beginning with games in Germany against Karlsruher SC and Greuther Furth. Liverpool will then jet off to Singapore where they'll face European heavyweights Bayern Munich as well as Leicester. They then return to the UK and will play SV Darmstadt 98 at Deepdale.
Jurgen Klopp will want to have his squad primed after pre-season as they look to improve on last season's below par showing. The Reds drew their opening game at Fulham as they went winless in their first three games of the campaign, eventually finishing fifth.
It means they have to negotiate the Europa League, which places a firm test on their resources as they play on Thursdays before weekend clashes. Liverpool though have successfully recovered from difficult seasons in the past and are expected to again challenge for silverware.
Fabinho will get the chance to play with Mac Allister and Szoboszlai, whom he believes will massively improve the team. He told the club's website: "It’s good to bring some good players in that position because we will need [them]. In the way we play, the intensity we play, we always need not just three or four but maybe six players in this position [in the squad]. So yes, it’s good to have these two players with us now. We played against them already, so we know how good they are. It’s good to have them in the team.”
