The Brazilian shot stopper has been given an extended break following a season hampered by injury, in which he missed a number of games for Liverpool.
Caoimhin Kelleher has impressed in the Reds US pre-season tour but it is no secret that Alisson will remain the no.1 at Liverpool this season.
Despite not yet having returned to the AXA training centre, it is expected that Alisson will be back sooner rather than later and Arne Slot will hope to have him back on the pitch as soon as possible.
WHY DID ALISSON NEED SUCH A LONG BREAK?
Brazil only made it to the quarterfinals of the Copa America and this may have some people wondering why Alisson has been afforded a longer break than some of his team mates who went further in their respective international competitions.
One answer could be the ‘keeper’s injury record. In three of the last four seasons Alisson has missed 10 or more games due to injury. An extended break could be an attempt to completely rest and reset his body ahead of another high tempo season.
Since joining Liverpool Alisson has played a total of 23,665 minutes for the Reds. This is a huge number and when put into perspective against some other Liverpool stars’ minutes it begins to make sense why Alisson may need a rest.
In the same time period Trent Alexander-Arnold has played only 21,842. It is plausible to think that the sheer amount of football Alisson has played at Liverpool may have taken a toll on the 31-year-old.
LIVERPOOL’S GOALKEEPING SITUATION
There has been plenty of interest in Alisson this summer and although it looked at one point that the no.1 may be close to leaving, all signs now point to Alisson staying in Merseyside for at least one more season.
Despite plans for Liverpool’s current second choice ‘keeper to stay put this season too, Kelleher still desires a move away from the Reds to properly assert himself as a first choice ‘keeper.
This has led to reports that Liverpool have a serious interest in bringing in Georgian ‘keeper Giorgi Mamardashvili. Some reports also suggest that the new ‘keeper would be sent out on loan for a season and that he is being recruited as Alisson’s long-term heir and not directly to replace Kelleher.
Vítězslav Jaroš, who spent last season on loan in Austria, is also expected to step up into the first-team squad following the departure of veteran goalkeeper Adrián.
