While Arne Slot is at the AXA Training Centre focusing on next season, five of his players are only now reaching the last game of their 2023/24 campaign.
It is no surprise that many have commented on the standard and speed of play at international tournaments this summer, the players are on their last legs.
While pre-season is up and running on Merseyside, we are only now reaching the conclusion of a very long season that still has five Reds in its clutches.
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez remain with England for the Euro final, while Alexis Mac Allister and Luis Diaz will battle it out in the Copa America final.
Darwin Nunez, meanwhile, is free to play in Uruguay’s battle for a bronze medal against Canada – though he is under investigation for his role in a fight in the stands.
Liverpool are guaranteed to have at least one player lift a trophy this weekend with Diaz and Mac Allister going head-to-head, but there is a possibility for that to rise to three if England beat Spain.
- Copa America 3rd-place playoff: UK – Sunday, 1am; Local time – Saturday, 8pm
- Euro final: UK – Sunday, 8pm
- Copa America final: UK – Monday, 1am; Local time – Sunday, 8pm
The last international game for the quintet is likely to only see three make their respective starting lineups, but the weekend marks the conclusion of an exhausting season.
Diaz has played 4,836 minutes for club and country, and Mac Allister is not far behind on 4,465 – while Nunez will break into the 4,000 club if he plays at least 44 minutes against Canada.
Gomez (3,279) and Alexander-Arnold (3,131) have not accumulated as many minutes over the season – and Gareth Southgate has done well not to overburden them this summer…
All have remained fit throughout the summer and they have just one more match to see out before a well-deserved break.
When will they report for pre-season?
Players will get three full weeks off, and with the quintet to put their feet up after this weekend, they are to return on August 5 at the earliest.
They will be among the last to report back, and Virgil van Dijk, Cody Gakpo and Ryan Gravenberch will be expected to be with them when they do after bowing out at the semi-final stage.
Andy Robertson, Dominik Szoboszlai and Vitezslav Jaros will be the first internationals to return after group stage exits, in time for the trip to the United States later this month.
Finally, Alisson, Diogo Jota and Ibrahima Konate will either meet up with the squad in the latter stages of their three-city tour or report back at the AXA at the start of next month.
It is a big group to be missing for the majority of pre-season, Arne Slot will have no time to waste once he gets them all under his watch.
