Mohamed Salah was crowned Liverpool's 2023 lactate test champion on a day that new boy Dominik Szoboszlai also emerged triumphant.
This summer marked the first time in eight years that Liverpool would have a new winner in their ranks after the reigning champion James Milner, who triumphed every year since joining the club in 2015, signed for Brighton & Hove Albion on a free transfer.
Up against Jordan Henderson, Conor Bradley, Virgil van Dijk, Andy Robertson, Ibrahima Konate and Kostas Tsimikas in heat one, Salah proved to be the last Reds player standing as he beat Henderson and Bradley.
Footage captured on Liverpool FC's official YouTube channel catches Reds boss Jurgen Klopp congratulating the Egyptian and saying: "And the James Milner award goes to...."
Van Dijk and Konate were the first two members of group one to drop out of the test, which is used to measure the physical endurance of a player before their muscles begin to produce lactate acid. Tsimkas was then the next to exit despite an encouraging cry from Klopp.
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Returning youngster Bradley, who spent the 2022/23 season on loan in League One with Bolton Wanderers, secured a top-three finish alongside Henderson and Salah as he surpassed Robertson.
The second heat of Liverpool players appeared slightly more competitive, with Trent Alexander-Arnold, Luis Diaz, Cody Gakpo and Diogo Jota lining up alongside summer signings Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister.
Alexander-Arnold and Jota were the first players eliminated from the gruelling test this time around, while Gakpo and Diaz secured a top-three finish ahead of Mac Allister, who voluntarily withdrew on the final lap.
However, neither the Colombian nor the Dutchman could catch Szoboszlai, who lay down a marker on day one of pre-season as he finished strongly to end the punishing exercise in first place.
Asked after how he found his first session as a Liverpool player, the Hungary captain replied: "Really hard, but really good."
Alexander-Arnold also appeared to confirm Salah as the champion when he replied, "Mo?", after Gakpo seemed to tell him who was the overall winner. But there was no doubt Szoboszlai also impressed.
As did Joe Gomez, who led the way in Saturday's lactate test, followed by Darwin Nunez.
