Liverpool confirm new pre-season start date with tributes planned to Diogo Jota

Daily Mirror

9 hours ago

Liverpool players will report back to the club's training ground on Tuesday - but a decision is yet to be made on whether their opening pre-season friendly will go ahead.
The first group of Reds had been due to report back on Friday, with a larger contingent returning on Monday July 7. However, the tragic death of Diogo Jota on Thursday saw the club postpone the start of their training schedule.
Jota, 28, and his brother, Andre Silva, were killed in a car crash in Spain on Thursday morning. They had been travelling across Spain to catch a ferry from Santander to Portsmouth, with the Portugal international due to return to the club on Monday.
The majority of Arne Slot's first-team squad attended their funeral on Saturday in the small Portuguese town of Gondomor, j oining a delegation of senior club officials who had visited the player's wake on Friday night.
The Premier League champions are now set to return to the club's AXA Training Centre on Tuesday to begin their pre-season.
Liverpool's first friendly of the summer is currently scheduled for Sunday July 13 against Preston North End at Deepdale. However, a decision regarding whether the match will proceed has not yet been made.
A decision will only be finalised once the team have returned for pre-season training and after all players and staff have been consulted, as they continue to mourn their close friend and colleague.
Preston are currently preparing in anticipation of the match proceeding, which would be their first home friendly of the summer. The Championship side will maintain communication with the Premier League champions and are leaving the decision on the game to Liverpool and their players.
It is understood that Preston are organising tributes to Jota at Deepdale, should the fixture go ahead.
Jota's funeral took place at the Igreja Matriz de Gondomar catholic church on Saturday morning. Virgil van Dijk, Andy Robertson, Joe Gomez, Curtis Jones, Alexis Mac Allister, Harvey Elliott, Wataru Endo, Darwin Nunez, Ryan Gravenberch, Federico Chiesa and manager Arne Slot were among those to attend.
Ex-Liverpool players in Caoimhin Kelleher, Jordan Henderson and James Milner were also present.
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