Liverpool’s pre-season preparations continued on Monday ahead of their international stars reporting back to the AXA Training Centre.
The majority of Jurgen Klopp’s squad are due back on Tuesday. In the meantime, Liverpool are hard at work with a number of Academy players joining the initial batch of first-team players to report back.
Adrian, Stefan Bajcetic, Fabinho, Joe Gomez, Joel Matip, Darwin Nunez, Nathaniel Phillips and Thiago Alcantara reported back for pre-season on Saturday, though Thiago is not yet fit to take part after hip surgery. Meanwhile, Calvin Ramsay was also part of the returning group ahead of linking up with loan club Preston North End later this month.
Thiago was again missing from action during the latest training pictures on Monday, with Bajcetic and Ramsay also not taking part in team sessions after returning from long-term injury. Phillips also wasn’t pictured with the rest of the team.
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But here’s who was spotted in training ahead of Liverpool’s big name returns on Tuesday, as a number of Academy stars joined in with the first team, including Under-18s forward Lewis Koumas…
Senior players
Adrian, Fabinho, Joe Gomez, Joel Matip, Darwin Nunez.
Academy players
Harvey Blair, Bobby Clark, Dominic Corness, Ben Doak, Melkamu Frauendorf, Vitezslav Jaros, Lewis Koumas, Fabian Mrozek, Jakub Ojrzynski, Marcelo Pitaluga, Jarell Quansah, Layton Stewart.
First-team fitness coach Dr Conall Murtagh was also pictured training with the first team, helping to make up numbers, while Tyler Morton was spotted away from the group as he continues his rehabilitation after seeing a season-long loan at Blackburn Rovers last year ended prematurely by a fractured foot.
With pre-season offering Liverpool’s younger players the opportunity to catch Klopp’s eye and take part in first team pre-season friendlies, a number of the aforementioned Academy starlets could well find themselves as part of the squad for the summer trips to Germany and Singapore.
