Liverpool’s entire squad gathered at the AXA Training Center this week for the first time since Jurgen Klopp announced he will leave Liverpool next summer. After Mohamed Salah returned to action at the Africa Cup of Nations and returned early after recovering from a hamstring injury, Wataru Endo returned to Kirkby on Wednesday as Japan advanced to the quarter-finals of the Asian Cup at the weekend last.
Although Liverpool’s entire squad is not ready at the moment, Dominic Szoboszlai and Thiago Alcantara have recently joined Salah, Joel Matip, Stefan Bajcetic and Ben Doak, giving Klopp an extra push to strengthen his ranks. But that luxury may have to wait a while until next summer, with the German’s successor in the dugout. Jurgen Klopp admitted Liverpool could make tactical changes following the return of a “very influential” player.
The Africa Cup of Nations and the Asian Cup will conclude this weekend, with the European Championship and Copa America taking place in the summer. A host of Liverpool stars are expected to take part in the two international tournaments, with just a few of Liverpool’s first team squad reporting to the AXA Training Center for the start of pre-season. At the beginning of July.
The European Championship opens in Germany on June 14, and the final will take place a month later on July 14. Although unlikely, 14 members of the current squad could make it to the tournament. Trent Alexander-Arnold is certain to feature in the England squad if fit. The recent form of Curtis Jones and Joe Gomez could put them in contention if they can carry on into the second half of the season, while Harvey Elliott could be an outside chance.
Liverpool currently have three representatives in the Netherlands national team, with Virgil van Dijk captaining the Netherlands, while Cody Gakpo and Ryan Gravenberch are hoping for a call-up. Ibrahima Konate, Diogo Jota and Szoboszlai are also expected to be called up to represent France, Portugal and Hungary respectively.
Elsewhere, Andy Robertson will captain Scotland for the tournament, while Calvin Ramsey will be an outside option after making his international debut ahead of the 2022 World Cup before going on loan at Bolton Wanderers. However, Doak can’t play until April due to a knee injury, so he’s unlikely to be selected at this point.Kostas Tsimikas can also play for the Greek national team if they advance to the playoffs.
In Group C, Greece will face Kazakhstan in the semi-finals and face either Georgia or Luxembourg in the final.Likewise, Owen Beck will get the chance to represent Wales if they qualify for the play-offs. The left-back, who is currently back on loan at Dundee, is currently restricted but has been called up for the October international break.
Rob Page’s side will play Finland in the Pad B semi-final before facing either Poland or Estonia in the final. Greece and Wales have been ruled out of the tournament, but pre-season results could be slightly delayed due to summer international competition scheduled for both teams’ seasons.
Meanwhile, the Copa America will run from June 20 to July 14 and will feature Alisson Becker (Brazil), Luis Diaz (Colombia), Darwin Nunes (Uruguay) and Alexis McAllister (Argentina). Endo and Salah are likely to miss pre-season, along with Caoimhin Kelleher and Conor Bradley. Japan, Egypt, Ireland and Northern Ireland will not field senior national teams this summer but are expected to have matches in June. Japan will play Switzerland in a friendly on June 6 and then face Myanmar and Syria on June 6 and 11, while Egypt will play World Cup qualifiers Burkina Faso and Guinea-Bissau on June 3 and 11.
Ireland then play two friendlies against Hungary and Portugal on June 4 and 11. Northern Ireland currently have no confirmed friendlies scheduled for the summer, but it would be surprising if that doesn’t change. As a result, Liverpool’s next manager is likely to be without the majority of the first team he inherited from the pre-season report. Elliott and Doak should be the first to return if not selected for the Euros, while Fabio Carvalho, Jarell Quanza, Baycetic and Nat Phillips should be back by early summer.
Tyler Morton, Sepp van den Berg, Rhys Williams and Vitezslav Jaros are likely to feature in the new manager’s first team alongside Bobby Clarke, James McConnell and Kaide.