With Liverpool’s preparations for next season now firmly underway, the squad list for the Germany leg of pre-season has prompted a couple of observations.
Fabinho‘s omission from squad as he nears a move to Saudi Arabia was obviously the headline from the 32-man squad list, but there are other things we’ve learned too.
Here, we take a look at some of things we spotted from the pre-season squad and dive into the potential reasons for the exclusions and inclusions.
Morton still recovering
Tyler Morton enjoyed a mostly fruitful spell on loan at Ewood Park last season, but his campaign was ultimately cut short after suffering a fracture in his foot in April.
It may be some time before we see the youngster back in a red shirt and there could even be another temporary move in his near future, but Morton did not travel with the Reds for their opening pre-season fixtures.
The 20-year-old made 40 Championship appearances for Blackburn in 2022/23 and will have hoped to have become part of Jurgen Klopp’s plans for next season, but his preparations look to be getting off to a standing start due to his unfortunate injury.
Chambers to go on loan?
Luke Chambers was not named among the manager’s 32-man squad for the camp, fuelling suggestions that he could be set for another loan move this summer.
The defender has reportedly caught the eye of Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen, as well as Championship sides Watford and Sheffield Wednesday.
Following a brief but successful stint in Scotland in which he helped Kilmarnock secure top-flight safety, it looks as though the 19-year-old may have to wait slightly longer before getting the chance to show what he is capable of on Merseyside.
Gordon still a long way to go
Kaide Gordon has made welcome progress towards a long-awaited return after being sidelined for a year and a half with a pelvic issue.
The teenager is edging closer to a full training return, but the fact he has missed out on the trip to Germany suggests there are still some big hurdles to clear before that becomes the case.
Gordon will be looking to finally get back involved with the first team having enjoyed three cup starts for the Reds during the double-winning season of 2021/22, but for now his own preparations will involve continuing his rehabilitation process alone back at Kirkby.
Plenty of young goalkeepers!
While there are some notable absentees, the manager certainly hasn’t been shy in inviting his goalkeepers.
Six of his stoppers have made the journey to Germany as the side ramp up their preparations, slightly helping to ease any fan concerns about Alisson’s understudies should Caoimhin Kelleher eventually move on.
36-year-old Adrian will be joined by youngsters Marcelo Pitaluga, Vitezslav Jaros and Fabian Mrozek, where they will work closely with John Achterberg in a bid to impress Klopp ahead of the new campaign.
Other non-attendees
Neither Layton Stewart nor Dominic Corness got the nod to travel with the first team for the opening two games of pre-season despite both having featured in the opening training days at Kirkby.
While we can only speculate on the reasons for their omissions, given the number of players taken to Germany it seems more of a squad management decision.
Both will be hoping to work their way up the pecking order and perhaps pick up a cup appearance or two in 2023/24 should they remain on Merseyside beyond the summer.
Who knows, there could be opportunities to join the squad in Singapore later in the month.
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