Long-term injured defenders Virgil Van Dijk and Joe Gomez plus new signing Ibrahima Konate will all kick off pre-season at Liverpool’s training camp in Austria on Monday.
Van Dijk and Gomez have not played since October and November respectively after sustaining serious knee injuries but will join up with a 34-man squad – missing players who were, or still are, involved in Euro 2020 and the Copa America – at their base in the state of Tyrol.
Konate will meet his new team-mates for the first time following his £36million move from RB Leipzig.
Right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold, who had to pull out of England’s Euro 2020 squad on the eve of the tournament with a thigh muscle tear, is also in the squad along with 11 academy players.
“We look forward to going to Austria again for the start of our pre-season. All the conditions to prepare the team there are just at a very high level,” assistant manager Pepijn Lijnders told liverpoolfc.com.
“We will use this to go back to basics. When you ask a lot from your players you have to give a lot as well – and we find all of this in Austria.”
Harvey Elliott, who is included in the travelling party, has signed a new contract.
A year ago he received his first professional deal having turned 17 and after a successful loan spell at Blackburn, where he scored seven goals and assisted 11 and was nominated for the EFL’s Young Player of the Season, his terms have been improved.
Elliott, who has made nine senior appearances – including two in the Premier League – for Liverpool, is looking to make more of an impact for Jurgen Klopp.
“I think that’s got to be everyone’s aim: to get in the team. To get in and around it at least,” he told liverpoolfc.com.
“It’s not going to come easily; there’s a great bunch of boys here and great talent but it’s down to me to work hard. I believe in myself that I can do it.
“I feel like there’s a lot of faith in me but it’s just down to me to go and show it and prove them right.”
