Arne Slot has been busy preparing his Liverpool side on Merseyside for the new season but now the Dutchman is out in the States with his new charges and hoping to get a good look at the young talent coming through.
Without key senior stars such as keeper Alisson, Virgil van Dijk and Darwin Nunez, there will be opportunities for the Reds younger stars to shine. They take on Real Betis, Arsenal and Manchester United in the US before hosting Sevilla at Anfield back on Merseyside.
These games will be a chance for Slot to have a real look over the squad he has at his disposal with new arrivals and departures certain this summer in the squad. This will be an opportunity for those on the fringes to prove they are ready to help Slot.
But who will be extra keen to impress the new boss and hope to push their way into his plans for the first-team starting spot this season?
Mirror Football takes a look at five players who will be eager to shine Stateside and in training to get a proper chance this term.
OK, so we saw a bit of Koumas last season as he netted his first senior goal but this is a big summer for the son of former Tranmere star Jason.
Why? Because there will be chances in the forward line in pre-season with the likes of Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz, and Cody Gakpo yet to team up with the Reds over here in the US.
Koumas has been at Liverpool since he was 11 and there are big hopes for him. His goal against Southampton in last season’s FA Cup got plenty talking. Certainly one to watch over the next week or so.
Now 22, the Brazilian keeper has been at the club since 2020 but has yet to get a chance to shine in the first team.
Alisson is obviously the Liverpool No 1 in the squad with Caoimhin Kelleher a more than decent understudy who got chances last season through injuries in the Premier League and again impressed in the cup competitions.
But Irish stopper Kelleher is sure to look for a move away this summer as he needs to be a No 1 so that may open the door for Pitaluga to get a bigger role. He will feature over in the US so he will be able to show Slot he doesn’t need to invest in a No 2 shot stopper.
He’s only 17 but he’s keen to impress this summer and stake a claim in midfield for Liverpool. Nyoni has been training with the first team at Liverpool for over a year now after impressing Jurgen Klopp. Now he’s out to impress the new manager and the fact he was included in the travelling squad for the US shows his promise.
There’s a lot of absences on this tour in midfield with Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch still to team up with the Reds so there will be chances for the teenager in America.
Liverpool poached him from Leicester City’s academy so they have high hopes for him and after a first-team debut last season in the FA Cup when he became the club’s youngest ever player in the competition, the midfielder will be pushing for more action.
Manchester United saw a talented teenage midfielder emerge last summer in Kobbie Mainoo so could Liverpool have a similar talent on their hands?
He’s only featured on the Liverpool bench once but there are high hopes for this big-leaping Kop defender. The 17-year-old was signed from West Ham in 2023 and has impressed at U21 level so far but now he’s going to get his chance in the first team in pre-season.
With no Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate or Joe Gomez, there should be minutes for a young defender like this.
He’s tall, strong on the ball and a left-sided centre back so has the talent to play out from the back which is what Slot will want.
Another who had a chance last season during Liverpool’s injury crisis but will be hoping to show new boss Arne Slot he’s ready to step up more regularly.
There will be clubs interested in the 19-year-old midfielder but he will want to stake a claim for a first-team spot with the Reds. Most likely to get chances in the pre-season games here in the US as Liverpool wait on more of their midfield to return. A clever player both in getting the ball forward and covering space. Certainly has the chance to impress.
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2024-07-26T06:56:03Z dg43tfdfdgfd