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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Kieran King

5 things noticed from Liverpool training as Darwin Nunez's session cut short

Liverpool's pre-season preparations continued with another hard-working session in Bangkok ahead of their first friendly against Manchester United on Monday.

Jurgen Klopp led his side out in front of a small set of supporters at the Thailand national stadium, where they performed a number of different drills to get them ready for the clash with the Red Devils. There were worrying signs, though, when Darwin Nunez missed part of the session with a minor foot injury.

The 22-year-old has only just started training with the Reds after making the big-money move from Benfica last month. He returned later than some of his teammates after playing for Uruguay during the recent internationals, but sat out the final stages of their latest training session with a minor foot issue which does not appear set to cause any major problems.

Whether the issue will keep him out for the game against United is a different question, but with Liverpool fans excited to see him in action they will hope that is not the case. Nevertheless, the vast majority of the Reds squad were out on the grass, and with that in mind, here is five things we noticed from the training session.

Klopp plays up to crowd

Klopp received a raucous reception from the locals and it is safe to say he played up to them with a series of fist pumps and other gestures. He appeared to go over to the fans at various points during the session, with the Liverpool boss enjoying the support.

Jurgen Klopp appears to be enjoying the reception from the supporters at the Rajamangala National Stadium (AFP via Getty Images)

The 55-year-old is renowned for getting the crowd pumped up and on his side throughout his time at the Reds and he seems to be continuing that trend with the Thai supporters. In a press conference on Sunday, Klopp said: "Usually football matches are the most important thing for us but in this specific case it is really more for the people."

Chance to impress

With Caoimhin Kelleher not involved on the Reds' pre-season tour of Thailand due to injury, Harvey Davies has been called up and could have the chance to impress if he is called upon. The 18-year-old has previously trained with the first-team before and was first named on the bench for the Reds against RB Leipzig in March 2020, when he was just 17.

Harvey Davies pictured in training with Liverpool on Monday (REUTERS)

A year later and Davies has gained further experience with the club's Under 23s is part of the travelling 37-man squad including fellow goalkeepers Adrian, Alisson and Fabian Mrozek. He has been pictured in training in Bangkok alongside the other shot-stoppers and is expected to feature in some fashion over the course of the next three weeks.

Elliott's big pre-season

Before suffering that serious ankle injury against Leeds United last September, Harvey Elliott had started the season as one of Liverpool's better players and it seemed as though he was only going to get better. But the 19-year-old was on the end of a strong tackle from Pascal Struijk which saw Elliott dislocate his ankle - ruling him out until February.

Liverpool's Harvey Elliott takes part in their training session at Rajamangala National Stadium in Bangkok (AFP via Getty Images)

Will Harvey Elliott cement himself back into the Liverpool starting XI this season? Let us know in the comments below!

However, the former Fulham midfielder is attempting to get back to his best and begin the campaign as he started the last one. Elliott will be hoping there is no repeat of a similar injury and he can kick-on from the first whistle. He has been working hard during the off-season and appeared to be back in the swing of things as the Reds prepared to take on the Red Devils.

Salah all smiles

After what seemed like a never-ending saga, Mohamed Salah finally put pen to paper on a new Liverpool contract on July 1. The Egyptian signed a three-year deal to keep him at Anfield until 2025 - a contract that makes him the highest paid player in the Reds history with wages at around £350,000 per-week.

Mohamed Salah spotted enjoying himself during Liverpool's final training session ahead of their game against Manchester United (AFP via Getty Images)

Like Nunez, Salah was part of the later group to begin pre-season training and he was in a happy mood during their session. The 30-year-old was smiling throughout and will just be looking to kick-on after his contract situation was resolved.

All fun and games

Despite losing the Champions League final against Real Madrid back in May, the Liverpool squad have come back in great spirits as Klopp tries to guide them to more silverware this season. When warming up, the Reds were laughing and joking to each-other with Joel Matip and Joe Gomez amongst those looking happy.

Liverpool in a positive mood during their pre-season training session in Thailand (REUTERS)

This continued into the session as Andrew Robertson got involved, while a number of players could not contain their excitement with the Reds back in action against United. It is a game that will attract a high attendance over in Thailand and Liverpool will be keen to get off to a good start in pre-season.

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