Gomez hint, Jota surprise & Alisson absent as Liverpool players return for pre-season

Liverpool saw six key players report back for pre-season training on Sunday, with Diogo Jota also making a surprise appearance while Alisson remained absent.

Sunday saw Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Cody Gakpo, Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz and Joe Gomez return to the AXA Training Centre for pre-season.

With the remainder of the squad on a day off after landing back in the UK, those six players were run through initial medical checks and fitness tests.

Those were overseen by club doctor Jonathan Power and fitness staff including Conall Murtagh, Ed Harper, David Rydings and Jordan Fairclough, all of whom had flown back from the United States early.

Absent from the group, however, was Alisson, who is the last player due back following his time with Brazil at Copa America.

Though Brazil’s run at the tournament ended sooner than Argentina, Uruguay and Colombia, as well as England and the Netherlands at the Euros, Liverpool granted their No. 1 almost a month off.

He is due back by Tuesday, when the entire squad will train together for the first time under Arne Slot.

Likely to miss out on those sessions, though, is Andy Robertson, who according to the Mail‘s Lewis Steele made an early return to Merseyside with the club’s medical staff due to an ongoing ankle injury.

There could be question marks over Jota, too, after the striker attended the AXA Training Centre on Tuesday, greeted at the door by Gakpo and Van Dijk.

Whether that is due to normal recovery work, to address a fitness concern or something completely innocuous remains to be seen, but it is notable that the Portuguese was present despite only returning from the US hours previous.

Gomez’s involvement – though expected – came amid speculation over the versatile defender’s future.

It has emerged that Liverpool agreed to sell Gomez to Newcastle earlier in the summer as part of a deal that would see winger Anthony Gordon head the other way.

That transfer broke down, but there had been suggestions that the No. 2 was considering his future after being offered a regular role at centre-back at St James’ Park.

The 27-year-old appeared to allay any concerns with a simple, two-word message after returning to the AXA, however.

“Szn 10,” Gomez wrote on Instagram, hinting that he plans to extend his stay at Liverpool into a 10th campaign – as the club’s longest-serving player.

Slot’s side returned from the US after three wins from three friendlies against Real Betis, Arsenal and Man United, with an Anfield double-header now to come against Sevilla and Las Palmas on August 11.