Pre-season is fast approaching, and plans are already in motion for Arne Slot‘s first summer at the helm, but the new head coach is not the only one with friendlies to prepare for.
First-team players who were not involved in international tournaments this summer are due to report back to the AXA Training Centre in the first week of July.
From there, they will start working with Slot for the very first time before jetting off to the United States for three pre-season friendlies, a return to Anfield follows for a fourth fixture.
A host of the club’s youngsters are expected to be involved with the senior setup, especially while several first-team players conclude their international duties and enjoy their summer break.
But those who do not make the trip to the US will be expected to be involved with the under-21s, who have now seen a pre-season friendly of their own confirmed for late July.
Chorley FC, a team playing in the National League North – the sixth tier of English football – have confirmed that they will host Liverpool’s U21s in a pre-season friendly on July 27.
The game will be played at Grant Store Victory Park Stadium the day after the first team meet Real Betis in Pittsburgh in their first outing of the summer.
Barry Lewtas is likely to have a young squad for the fixture, with a number of players to make the step up from younger age categories.
This could include the likes of 16-year-old Joshua Sonni-Lambie, Kareem Ahmed, Keyrol Figueroa, Lucas Pitt and Luca Furnell-Gill.
Meeting senior opposition will be a big test but that is what pre-season is for, a chance to see what it takes to move up the age categories, and they will not be short of inspiration.
Jayden Danns, Lewis Koumas, James McConnell and Jarell Quansah all made their first-team debut for Liverpool last season and earned widespread praise for their respective roles throughout the campaign.
