5 things spotted from Liverpool training with 3 new faces and loanee return

July 8, 2022
Jack Lusby

Liverpool continued their pre-season training with a lively session at the AXA Training Centre on Thursday, with three new faces and two players returning.

The Reds are nearing the end of their first week of pre-season, with the full squad expected to fly to Bangkok on Saturday for the Far East tour.

Jurgen Klopp will welcome back the likes of Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold for the flight, as Liverpool prepare to take on Man United in Thailand and Crystal Palace in Singapore.

It has already been a productive week in Kirkby as Klopp and his coaches put the initial squad through their paces, with opportunity for a number of youngsters to impress.

Here are five things we spotted from day four of pre-season training.

Loanee trains

When Marcelo Pitaluga joined eighth-tier Macclesfield on loan earlier this summer, eyebrows were raised as to why a goalkeeper considered a possible first-team option for the future was joining a club so low down in the pyramid.

But at just 18 and with no experience of senior football so far, it should be an invaluable experience for the Brazilian.

However, Pitaluga is expected to remain a regular in training at Liverpool throughout the campaign, and that was the case as he joined the goalkeeping group on Thursday.

Neco is back…for now

Thursday brought the news that Liverpool and Nottingham Forest had agreed a deal worth in the region of £17 million for Neco Williams.

It was anticipated, then, that the right-back would travel from his family holiday in Spain to the Forest training camp in Alicante, to undergo a medical and finalise contract talks.

Instead, the Welshman rejoined his Reds team-mates for the first time in pre-season – perhaps he has loose ends to tie up on Merseyside before the switch to Nottingham.

New trio joins in

As ever, this pre-season is a chance for Pepijn Lijnders and Vitor Matos to collect the best young talent from the Liverpool academy to showcase to Klopp.

Already this week the likes of Luke Chambers and Bobby Clark have made a strong impression on the manager, and on Thursday, three new faces were part of the squad.

Jake Cain was back for the first time since his loan at Newport County, while there was space for Polish forward Mateusz Musialowski and midfielder Dominic Corness.

Klopp is set to name a host of youngsters as part of the squad travelling to Asia.

Joel busts out his trademark

It is one of the most irresistible sights in football: Joel Matip galloping up the pitch, twisting through challenges as he makes his way closer to goal.

Stop that, Joel ??? pic.twitter.com/Q2WUWfJHnq

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) July 7, 2022

Last season, it culminated in a brilliant strike against Leeds, and the centre-back was at it again in training on Thursday.

A pure delight.

Elliott looking sharp

With all the talk of new signings and new faces, Harvey Elliott may have found himself as a forgotten man among certain supporters this summer.

But the 19-year-old, clad in his new No. 19 shirt, has looked particularly sharp throughout the first week of pre-season, and it was no different on Thursday.

Every touch, movement and shot appears to be on point, with Elliott clearly determined to win back his starting spot from the beginning of last term.