New face joins Liverpool training with Thiago and Stefan Bajcetic

August 9, 2023
Jack Lusby

Liverpool resumed work at the AXA Training Centre on Wednesday, four days before the season begins, with a new face part of the session.

The Reds were given a break following the 3-1 win over Darmstadt that rounded off their schedule of friendlies, but were back in Kirkby for midweek.

With a trip to Chelsea to come to begin the Premier League campaign, it was a mixed session for the squad in the summer sun.

The majority of Jurgen Klopp‘s squad was comprised of those involved throughout pre-season, but joining the first team was youngster Luke Chambers.

Chambers had been absent throughout pre-season for both the senior squad and the under-21s, amid loan interest from Watford and Bayer Leverkusen.

But the versatile defender was pictured warming up alongside the likes of Kostas Tsimikas and Bobby Clark on Wednesday.

Also part of the squad were Thiago and Stefan Bajcetic, who are closing in on full fitness following long-term injuries.

The 10 outfield players who started against Darmstadt were in second-day recovery, which saw games of head tennis away from the rest of the group.

Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Andy Robertson, Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Cody Gakpo, Mohamed Salah, Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota have all avoided injury and are likely to start on Sunday.

There was another positive in the involvement of Curtis Jones, who went into the win over Darmstadt with a knock but appears to have shaken that off.

Among the youngsters retained from trips to Germany, Singapore and Preston throughout pre-season were Clark, Ben Doak, Jarell Quansah, James McConnell and Calum Scanlon.

Vitezslav Jaros and Marcelo Pitaluga, who were both cut from the Singapore tour and instead played a half each in the U21s’ 5-0 win over Hull on Friday, rejoined the goalkeeping ranks.

The hope is that there are no new injury concerns with days to go until head to Stamford Bridge, though there was no sign of Darwin Nunez.

It should be stressed, however, that the Uruguayan may simply have been away from the group briefly or following an individual programme elsewhere.

Conor Bradley, who has not been part of the squad since the training camp in Germany due to a minor injury, remains out.