Liverpool Pre-Season Training to Begin After Diogo Jota's Tragic Passing

Liverpool are set to start pre-season training on Tuesday but a decision on whether they will fulfil their pre-season friendly against Preston North End is yet to be made.

Liverpool’s players are set to report back to the AXA Training Centre for the start of pre-season on Tuesday (July 8) following the tragic death of Diogo Jota. The majority of Arne Slot’s first-team squad attended the funeral of Jota and his brother, Andre Silva, in Gondomar on Saturday (July 5).

The brothers were killed in a car crash in the early hours of Thursday morning after their vehicle veered off the road following a tyre blowout. They had been travelling across Spain to catch a ferry in order to travel back to Merseyside for the start of the Reds' pre-season.

Liverpool took the decision to postpone the start of their pre-season training schedule following Jota’s passing.

The first phase of Reds players had initially been due to report to the AXA Training Centre on Friday (July 4) ahead of a larger contingent returning on Monday (July 7).

Slot’s squad were instead granted extra time off to process the devastating news of their team-mate’s passing with the majority of players travelling to Portugal to attend his funeral. But the squad will now report back to the AXA Training Centre for the start of their pre-season preparations on Tuesday (July 8).

Liverpool’s first friendly of the summer is currently due to take place next Sunday (July 13) against Preston North End at Deepdale. But a decision on whether the match will go ahead has not yet been made.

A decision will only be made once the group have reported back for pre-season training and after all players and staff have been consulted as they grieve for a close friend and colleague.

Preston are currently making preparations in anticipation of the game going ahead, in what would be their first home friendly of the summer. The Championship outfit will remain in contact with the Premier League champions and will be led by them when it comes to deciding if the friendly will be played.

It is understood that Preston are planning tributes in honour of Jota at Deepdale, should Liverpool indeed decide to fulfil the fixture.