Only 2 players remain from Liverpool’s last visit to Hong Kong in 2017

Liverpool are back in Hong Kong for the first time since 2017, and only two players from the last squad that toured the region remain at the club.

In the eight years since Liverpool last travelled to Hong Kong for pre-season, the club have won two league titles, a European Cup, Club World Cup, Super Cup, FA Cup and two League Cups.

There was also a seismic shift in the dugout as Jurgen Klopp bid farewell as Arne Slot arrived as his successor and enjoyed immediate success.

Fair to say the club has transformed on the pitch and off it since the previous visit in 2017, with that period dominated by Philippe Coutinho‘s desire to leave for Barcelona.

Fast forward eight years, and we are talking about Liverpool’s statement of intent in the transfer window, headlined by Germany’s best, Florian Wirtz, making the move to Anfield.

Only two players in the current squad have witnessed the full eight-year transformation first hand, and that is Mohamed Salah and Joe Gomez.

Liverpool’s 2017 pre-season squad

Goalkeepers: Karius, Mignolet, Ward

Defenders: Klavan, Matip, Lovren, Gomez, Clyne, Milner, Moreno, Alexander-Arnold, Flanagan

Midfielders: Henderson, Wijnaldum, Coutinho, Lallana, Grujic, Stewart

Forwards: Firmino, Salah, Sturridge, Origi, Solanke, Kent, Woodburn

You may be thinking, what about Andy Robertson? Well, the Scot never made the trip having been signed by Liverpool while Klopp and his squad were in Hong Kong.

Back in 2017, Liverpool won the Premier League Asia Trophy after being pitted against Crystal Palace in the semi-finals and Leicester in the final.

Coutinho was itching for a transfer as the Reds were pursuing a deal for Virgil van Dijk that would ultimately have to wait until the winter window.

Daniel Sturridge, Roberto Firmino, Divock Origi and summer signings Mohamed Salah and Dominic Solanke were the primary forward options in 2017.

Origi is still on AC Milan‘s books, Liverpool’s opponents on Saturday, but he has been exiled from the squad as they seek to terminate his contract a year early.

Loris Karius, Simon Mignolet and Danny Ward, meanwhile, were the Reds’ goalkeeper options eight years ago – quite the contrast from the current options of Alisson and Giorgi Mamardashvili.

It has been quite the transformative eight years for Liverpool, underlined by only two players still occupying spots in the Reds’ squad.