New Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola will likely have to wait longer to work with his full squad as the club's eight World Cup representatives are poised to progress to the knockout stages of the tournament in North America.
World Cup Success Delays Return
The Reds began the tournament with eight players, and while Wataru Endo withdrew from the Japan squad due to injury, the number was bolstered last week after signing Victor Munoz from Osasuna for £34.5 million. All eight are expected to advance to the round of 32, further delaying their arrival at Liverpool for pre-season training.
Iraola's squad is scheduled to convene around July 13 to prepare for the new campaign, which begins with a Premier League trip to Newcastle United on Sunday, August 23. In recent years, Liverpool has given players three weeks off after concluding their participation in a summer international tournament.
US Tour at Risk
With the World Cup group stages ending this weekend, players would have missed the anticipated first week of pre-season but could have joined the US tour next month. However, with all eight likely in the next round, they are in danger of missing the three-match US tour starting July 25 against Sunderland. The round of 16 begins on Saturday, July 4, making it highly unlikely any Liverpool players will feature in the US tour.
Sweden's Alexander Isak is the only Liverpool player under real threat of elimination from the group stage, but even a narrow defeat to Japan could see him progress as a third-placed team. Given that many of the players' countries are expected to reach the semi-finals, Iraola may not have his full squad until early August, after Liverpool returns from the United States.
