Pre-season preparations commence at AXA Training Centre
Liverpool is set to begin its pre-season preparations for the upcoming season on Tuesday at the AXA Training Centre. Players not involved in the latter stages of the World Cup will join to start a new era under manager Andoni Iraola. The initial days of pre-season will feature a mix of familiar faces, new signings, and academy prospects aiming to make an impression.
The squad will depart for the United States for their pre-season tour just one week after the first training sessions on Merseyside. This tight schedule means every day will be crucial for new signings to integrate and for returning players to demonstrate their value to the new head coach. Due to summer international commitments and ongoing injury recoveries, the initial group of players is expected to be smaller than the full squad that will assemble later in the month.
Squad composition for early training sessions
The goalkeeping unit is anticipated to have a fresh look for the start of pre-season. Giorgi Mamardashvili and fellow summer arrival Freddie Woodman are expected to be joined by Hungarian youngster Armin Pecsi, as Iraola assesses his options. In defence, Jeremy Jacquet has already demonstrated his fitness by working with Liverpool‘s Under-21s and is now expected to train with the senior group.
Jacquet will be joined by Joe Gomez, new signings Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong, and Kostas Tsimikas, who returns after a season-long loan spell at AS Roma. The midfield will include several recognisable names such as Harvey Elliott, Dominik Szoboszlai, Curtis Jones, Trey Nyoni, and James McConnell, all of whom are set to be available from the first day.
Further forward, options are fewer, with Federico Chiesa and teenager Rio Ngumoha expected to be the primary established first-team attacking players present for the initial sessions. Several young players, including Josh Abe, Jayden Danns, Kieran Morrison, Mor Talla Ndiaye, Lewis Koumas, and Will Wright, are in line to participate in training and potentially stake a claim for involvement throughout the campaign.
Player availability and injury updates
Not all players will be immediately available for the start of pre-season. Vitezslav Jaros, Conor Bradley, Giovanni Leoni, Wataru Endo, Stefan Bajcetic, and Hugo Ekitike are all expected to miss the opening day due to injury. The squad is anticipated to strengthen considerably upon arrival in the United States, where captain Virgil van Dijk is expected to link up with Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, Ryan Gravenberch, and Cody Gakpo.
Alisson is due to return slightly later, while Alexis Mac Allister and Munoz may not be available until around the middle of August, following their deep runs into this summer’s World Cup. Meanwhile, Jeremy Jacquet, who was officially unveiled as a Liverpool player earlier in the week after his transfer was announced in January, has made a full recovery from a left shoulder injury. He spent the remainder of the 2025-26 season with Rennes, playing a total of 159 minutes before his injury on February 7th. This week, the 20-year-old has been undertaking preparatory work at the AXA Training Centre with the U21s, and on Thursday, he was observed by Iraola and sporting director Richard Hughes.
Harvey Elliott, who was on the bench for the Europa League final, made nine appearances across all competitions and is set to get an opportunity to prove his worth to Iraola in pre-season. The 23-year-old has entered the final 12 months of his contract at Anfield.
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Source: standard.co.uk
Freya Donnelly is the Sports Reporter at News-UK, covering tennis, cricket and athletics with seven years of reporting experience. She reported on Team GB through an Olympic cycle. She holds a degree in Sport and Media from the University of Brighton and completed an NCTJ diploma. Based in Brighton, she plays club cricket in the summer. “Listening is the most underrated skill in sports reporting.”
