Andoni Iraola will gain a clearer picture of his Liverpool squad when players reconvene at the AXA Training Centre on Wednesday, with most senior stars present but defensive injuries and transfer needs looming large.
Virgil van Dijk, Cody Gakpo, Alisson Becker, and new signing Victor Munoz will work under Iraola for the first time, leaving Alexis Mac Allister as the only senior player yet to start pre-season. Alisson returned to Kirkby on Tuesday after Brazil's World Cup run, while Van Dijk and Gakpo began training a week earlier, skipping the latter part of the US tour.
New signing Munoz accelerates integration
Munoz, who joined from Osasuna for £34.5m last month, cut short his post-World Cup break to speed up his integration. The winger was part of Spain's squad but did not play due to injury and competition for places.
Liverpool's US tour party returned home after the Leeds friendly and had Tuesday off. The Reds have two Anfield friendlies against Monaco and Como to fine-tune before their Premier League opener at Newcastle on August 23.
Defensive concerns mount
Iraola has voiced worries over defensive availability. Centre-back Jeremy Jacquet has yet to feature due to a shoulder problem, Giovanni Leoni is recovering from an ACL injury, Joe Gomez is out for weeks, and teenager Ifeanyi Ndukwe is ineligible this season. At right-back, Conor Bradley is recovering from a serious knee issue, and Jeremie Frimpong caused a scare when substituted against Leeds.
Liverpool hope Frimpong's exit was precautionary and he will train this week. The club can ill afford more absences, and the roll call at the training ground will likely highlight the need for reinforcements before deadline day.
