Liverpool got their pre-season training camp in Austria under way on Monday morning.
A handful of players who arrived early began their preparations for the new campaign in the picturesque setting of Tyrol, with their teammates set to join them.
As ever, Jurgen Klopp 's squad kicked things off with a lactate test to measure their fitness after a summer off.
Here are four things we learned from the first session of pre-season.
Triple injury boost
After a season defined by injuries in defence, Liverpool could do with a bit more good fortune on the fitness front this time around.
And their numbers at the back have been handed an early boost after Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and Joel Matip were all spotted in training.
Van Dijk and Matip look like they may be able to play a full part in pre-season after missing so much of the last campaign with long-term injuries.
Alexander-Arnold, meanwhile, is ready despite having sat out Euro 2020 with a muscle injury picked up prior to the tournament.
Milner leads the way
Liverpool's pre-season lactate test is generally prefixed with 'dreaded' for good reason - it is utterly punishing.
But there one man who seems to relish this brutal mainstay of preparations for the new campaign: James Milner.
The Englishman has consistently outrun every single one of his teammates since this exercise was introduced to the Reds' pre-season repertoire.
And, judging from the images that show him heading the pack in Austria, he is out to keep his title as the fittest man in Klopp's squad.
Tsimikas and Minamino begin big period
Pre-season is not just an important period for building up fitness, it is also an opportunity for fringe players to make a statement to the manager.
After a disappointing first season at Anfield that saw him fail to start a Premier League game, Kostas Tsimikas will be out to do just that.
The same goes for Takumi Minamino, who returns from a loan spell with Southampton in the second half of last season.
That both players are present for the first day of pre-season - unlike a number of other internationals - will certainly help in that regard.
All smiles from Mo
If, as has been suggested, Mohamed Salah is unhappy about being blocked from taking part in this summer's Olympics, then he certainly didn't look it in this morning's training session.
Egypt were keen to call their star man up as one of three overage players permitted at the U23 tournament in Tokyo.
However, with the Africa Cup of Nations already set to disrupt their season, Liverpool moved to keep Salah away from international duty.
The 29-year-old doesn't look too fussed about it, though, and was grinning from ear to ear during his first session of the camp.
.png?w=600)
