Liverpool have announced the squad that will be travelling to the United States for pre-season.
The Reds have been preparing back home on Merseyside for the past couple of weeks but are now all set to fly to the States.
Liverpool will be playing three games in three different cities while Stateside and Arne Slot has named a 28-man group to feature against Real Betis, Arsenal and Manchester United.
With so many of the first-team squad still away on holiday, Slot’s pick has a very, very young feel to it.
There are plenty of names from the academy, with first chances set to arrive for the likes of Luca Stephenson and Amara Nallo. Unfortunately, though, not everyone could make it.
Jayden Danns and Bobby Clark miss out
With three games to play, it feels likely that most – if not all – of the players chosen by Slot and his coaching staff will get at least some time on the pitch.
It has been reported that big names such as Virgil van Djik will not join the tour at any point and will instead report back to the AXA Training Centre when they’re ready.
As a result, the young players involved will be licking their lips. Here is a real chance to make an impression on the new head coach against Premier League opposition.
But for two youngsters, that chance has now cruelly been taken away from them.
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Having broken through impressively last season, both Jayden Danns and Bobby Clark would have expected to be involved this summer.
With the squad list released on Tuesday though, it was perhaps a surprise to see that neither Danns nor Clark had been named.
According to journalist James Pearce on X, the reason for the omission is that the pair have picked up injuries ahead ofthe tour.
“Jayden Danns misses out due to some discomfort in his back and Bobby Clark stays behind to complete his rehab at Kirkby,” Pearce reports.
Transfers on the cards for Danns and Clark?
The clarity from Pearce was needed here, as both Danns and Clark have been linked with moves away this summer.
Wayne Rooney is reportedly a big fan of Danns and is said to be ‘at the front of the queue’ to sign him for Plymouth Argyle.
Meanwhile, Clark has been linked with RB Salzburg, where he would link up with former Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders.
With both players being very highly rated by Liverpool, it’s likely that either move would be a loan, rather than a permanent move.
Had they been given the chance to impress Slot over the coming weeks, perhaps they’d have been kept around the squad. But unable to do that, maybe transfers just became much more likely.
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