Liverpool will fly to the United States later this week as they start their pre-season tour but a series of top first team players are expected to be absent.
The Reds had a lengthy contingent of players who had represented the club at the 2018 World Cup and a number of them managed to make it to the last four of the tournament.
Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson along with Trent Alexander Arnold were part of the England squad which played the third-place play-off vs Belgium on Saturday while Croatia’s Dejan Lovren featured in the final on Sunday.
Liverpool also had goalkeeper Simon Mignolet who was part of the Belgium squad which secured the third place in Russia. And now all these players have to be given a lengthy holiday.
The Anfield outfit will have to provide the above-mentioned players with three weeks off – meaning that they will not be part of the squad that travels to the United States nor to the training camp in France.
Klopp sets #WorldCup quartet's #LFC return date 👉 https://t.co/aRrMfAZroj #LFCPreSeason pic.twitter.com/jrL2cTyPjv
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) July 16, 2018
This means that Henderson, Alexander-Arnold, Mignolet and Lovren will only return to England on the fifth of August – exactly seven days before the start of the new Premier League season.
Klopp said: “They are back as well on August 5, I think, then we have a proper week to prepare the season.”
It is pretty evident that these players will require a much deserved holiday with their families after such a tough tournament but their return date will surely be a selection headache for Jurgen Klopp.
Liverpool kick off their campaign against West Ham United at Anfield on the 12th of August and there is a huge possibility that the four players might not feature during the season opener.
With just seven days to practice before the 2018-19 season, the likes of Jordan Henderson and Dejan Lovren might just not be match fit to play a competitive game.
West Ham United, on the other hand, will see this as an opportunity to pick up all three points against a relatively weakened Liverpool side and give their new campaign a kick start.
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