Liverpool face Newcastle in their opening Premier League match on August 23, and Andoni Iraola is set to have more of his squad available. The head coach has confirmed that Victor Munoz, Alisson Becker and Alexis Mac Allister will join up with the Reds in the coming weeks after extended breaks following the World Cup.
Munoz, who arrived from Osasuna for £34.5 million, is Liverpool's only signing so far. With Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson and Ibrahima Konate having left, the squad still needs more personnel and experience.
All three players were given extra time off because of World Cup involvement. Munoz and Mac Allister both reached the final, with Spain and Argentina respectively, and Munoz and Alisson will report for training this week when Liverpool are back in England from their USA tour.
Iraola on return dates
Speaking on the club's official website on Saturday, Iraola said of Munoz: "Yes, he comes next week. We spoke to him and he wanted also to come a little bit earlier than the three weeks that they have the right to have, because obviously he is coming to a new club, he will need some time to adapt, to meet his teammates. We will have him next week as soon as we arrive there, basically. It’s good news."
On Alisson, he added: "Yes, Alisson will be there from the first day. He was arriving to AXA a little bit later than Cody [Gakpo] and Virgil [van Dijk]. But he will be [there] since the first day that we arrive and will start training there in Liverpool."
Mac Allister will return around August 9, the date Liverpool play Monaco in a pre-season fixture. Iraola said: "Alexis will have, I think, until the Monaco game. I think deserved holidays for him; long season, long World Cup, played until the final, has played a lot of minutes. I hope he comes fully recovered and he enjoys also the break that he definitely has earned."
Smicer backs £80m Scott move
Former Liverpool midfielder Vladimir Smicer has backed Liverpool to move for Bournemouth's £80m-rated Alex Scott. The 22-year-old has been linked with Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea, who have already had a bid of around £65m turned down.
Smicer, who won the Champions League with Liverpool in 2005, believes Iraola's previous work with Scott on the South Coast could help. Speaking via Casinostugan, he said: "I think you can expect Andoni Iraola would like to take Alex Scott because he knows what he can do. To be honest, in midfield we need a bit more spark with people who are fighting but are clever going forward, turning quickly with the ball and finding strikers. Of course, we expect a lot from (Florian) Wirtz to do this. But Andoni Iraola knows Alex Scott. If the price is right and he sees the possibility to strengthen the team, why not?"
"Curtis Jones is linked with a few moves, and if he leaves, we need midfield press. We don't know what's happening with (Alexis) Mac Allister, he had a bit of a weak season and was not at the same level. (Ryan) Gravenberch had a good start, but then it was not the best. Only (Dominik) Szoboszlai was a top player in midfield for the whole season."
"In midfield you need competition, and Scott can be a great asset because he's only twenty-two and is playing regularly for the England youth teams. He's a good prospect and a local guy from the UK. These things are important. I don't know if he would love to play for Liverpool, but not many players would turn them down. He's got a good chance now because Andoni Iraola is the new manager. If he likes him, I think we can find the money."
