Jayden Danns trains with Liverpool first team as Jota and Chiesa take next steps

Diogo Jota and Federico Chiesa were both involved in outdoor work at the AXA Training Centre on Friday, as Jayden Danns joined Liverpool’s first-team training.

Part of Liverpool’s injured contingent, Jota and Chiesa will not be involved when the Reds head to Southampton for Sunday’s Premier League clash.

But the pair joined their teaMMAtes on the outside pitch at the AXA on Friday, as they step up their recovery from fitness issues that have kept them out for lengthy spells.

Jota has not featured since the 2-1 win over Chelsea on October 20, having picked up a rib injury, while Chiesa’s last outing was against West Ham on September 25 owing to various problems.

Training time ? pic.twitter.com/4agxp6aVM8

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) November 22, 2024

Neither will have joined full training – though Arne Slot did expect Chiesa to join “one exercise” – but their presence suggests they are not far off.

Striker Danns was part of the team session, however, with the 18-year-old now back from a long-term back injury and seemingly considered part of Slot’s first-team plans.

He was joined by fellow academy player Rio Ngumoha, 16, as Liverpool trained in the heavy rain on Merseyside – though the winger is likely to start against Birmingham U18s on Saturday rather than Travel to St Mary’s.

Neither Trent Alexander-Arnold or Alisson were involved in the session, but Harvey Elliott was part of the squad having made a full recovery from a fractured foot.

Virgil van Dijk shook off any issues that saw him withdraw from Netherlands duty midway through the international break to help lead training.

Slot is expected to factor in Travel time during the break when he puts together his starting lineup for Sunday, most notably with the late return of his South American internationals.

Luis Diaz and Alexis Mac Allister are fit and available but were heavily involved for Colombia and Argentina respectively, with Darwin Nunez a more likely starter having been brought off at half-time in his most recent appearance for Uruguay.

Nunez could join Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah in the forward line, with a midfield of Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai and the in-form Curtis Jones expected to start with Mac Allister on the bench.

Liverpool squad in training on Friday

Goalkeepers: Kelleher, Jaros, Ojrzynski, Davies

Defenders: Van Dijk, Konate, Gomez, Quansah, Bradley, Tsimikas

Midfielders: Mac Allister, Gravenberch, Szoboszlai, Jones, Elliott, Endo, Morton, Nyoni

Forwards: Salah, Diaz, Gakpo, Nunez, Danns, Ngumoha

* Chiesa and Jota not part of full training