It may only be pre-season but Liverpool’s three friendly matches have given Arne Slot a good idea of who he may want to move on and who will figure in his future plans.
Three USA tour games and a behind-closed-doors match against Preston is hardly enough to judge a player on – after all, pre-season is a time for preparation, not producing the final product.
However, the time spent on tour and in Kirkby has been more positive for some than others and there are definitely players who will benefit in the early part of the campaign from having a strong pre-season.
Here we look at seven of Liverpool’s ‘winners’ and ‘losers’ from pre-season – and what it could mean for their futures.
Harvey Blair – winner
Minutes played: 70
Since a surprise start in 2021 against Preston in the League Cup, Harvey Blair had gone off the radar for most supporters as injury hampered his development.
Now, though, he is back and Slot has clearly taken a liking to the 20-year-old, who seemingly moved above Kaide Gordon and Lewis Koumas in the pecking order of Liverpool attackers this summer.
Blair is primarily a right winger but can play across the front three, as evidenced by Slot’s decision to bring him on through the middle to replace Diogo Jota against Man United.
It has been a surprise to see him so involved in pre-season but quite probably this is merely a circumstance of having so few centre-forwards available so far.
Nonetheless, he seems to have taken the opportunity.
Harvey Elliott – winner
Minutes played: 200
It is easy to forget how young Liverpool’s other Harvey, Harvey Elliott, still is, given his relative wealth of experience at just 21 years old.
Under Jurgen Klopp, Elliott usually played as one of the Reds’ box-to-box midfielders. However, Slot has a new primary role for him.
During the friendlies we saw him deployed as an attacking midfielder – often the ‘No.10’ – and told to stay high rather than get back when the opposition are attacking.
His traits as a creative player suit the role really well and he managed two assists in three games over in the USA.
Trey Nyoni – winner
Minutes played: 118
For those who were awake to watch, Trey Nyoni‘s performance against Real Betis was among the highlights of pre-season so far.
Coming on for Curtis Jones, who exited with a slight injury issue in the 31st minute, Nyoni immediately set about controlling things in midfield.
The ease at which he dribbled past opponents and fed the Reds’ forwards was amazing to see from the 17-year-old, who only joined the club last summer from Leicester.
The following match, against Arsenal, saw him play another 45 minutes, more than most of his academy counterparts. Against Man United, he then played another half an hour.
We may not see much of Nyoni on the pitch for the first team this season but he will certainly be involved in senior training regularly.
Vitezslav Jaros – winner
Minutes played: 90
Coming off the back of a successful loan spell at Sturm Graz, Liverpool fans hoped Vitezslav Jaros would be a safe pair of hands in goal.
Thankfully, he appears to be exactly that.
The Czech goalkeeper played 45 minutes against Betis and Man United and looked assured in both. Against Erik ten Hag’s team his passing was particularly impressive, something that will be key for Slot’s ‘keepers.
If he spends a year on Merseyside working with new goalkeeping coach Fabian Otte he could well be a good option for Liverpool as a second-choice ‘keeper should Caoimhin Kelleher move on.
Andy Robertson – loser
Minutes played: 0
Perhaps it sounds harsh to label Andy Robertson as a ‘loser’ this pre-season but you certainly can’t deem the last few weeks to have been a success.
This is down to no fault of his own of course – injury has kept him from playing in any of Liverpool’s friendlies – but there is a sense that the left-back needs to get back to his old self quickly.
With last season a mixed bag, both in terms of performances and availability, Robertson will be hoping to prove this season that he can still reach the heights of previous years.
Missing pre-season, however, isn’t ideal in his pursuit of the form that saw him become one of the world’s most reliable full-backs.
Wataru Endo – loser
Minutes played: 115
Over the course of Liverpool’s pre-season tour it became increasingly clear that Wataru Endo isn’t one of Slot’s favourites.
The Japanese started against Betis but a dismal showing resulted in him coming off at half time and being dropped to the bench for the Reds’ subsequent matches.
Both Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch started games as Liverpool’s deepest-lying midfielder, while Endo was consigned to second-half cameos.
Endo could still prove useful to Slot this season but it is clear that Klopp’s style suited the Japan captain better.
A few weeks ago, Liverpool rejected an £11.8 million bid for Endo from Marseille but the Reds ‘could be tempted by a higher offer’, according to journalist David Lynch.
Rhys Williams – loser
Minutes played: 0
Surely this is the summer Rhys Williams leaves Liverpool!
While that sentence can be backed up with reason it is also one that has probably been written in each of the last three summers.
The centre-back looked set for a good loan club last summer in Aberdeen but his time there didn’t go to plan as he failed to make a single appearance.
After Christmas he departed Merseyside again, only to last just 16 days at Port Vale before returning home due to the “emergence of an underlying injury issue.”
This summer he would have hoped to have been involved in pre-season with a new head coach in place.
Instead, though, he has been consigned to the under-21s and not used by Slot.
The 23-year-old still has two years left on his contract but will surely be wanting to move on in search of first-team football.
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