Five Liverpool stars set to return to training next week in major boost | OneFootball

Liverpool Pre-Season Return Dates Give Andoni Iraola a Clearer Picture

Liverpool are working through an awkward start to pre-season, and there is no point dressing it up. A World Cup summer has left Andoni Iraola with a split squad and limited time on the training pitch with several key names. That is the reality of the job.

The good news is that the picture should become clearer quickly. Under FIFA regulations, players involved at the World Cup must be given at least three weeks off before rejoining their clubs. That timetable now offers Liverpool a straightforward schedule for the next wave of returns.

Florian Wirtz set for early return

Florian Wirtz looks likely to be next through the door. Germany were knocked out by Paraguay on June 29, a result that may help Liverpool more than it helped Germany. Wirtz now has the chance to get back sooner, adapt to Iraola’s demands and start answering the noise around whether he can impose himself in the Premier League.

Photo: IMAGO

He is due back on Monday, July 20, if the full three-week break is observed. That would put him in line to travel to the United States with the squad before the pre-season friendly against Sunderland in Nashville on July 25.

There is a big season ahead for Wirtz. Liverpool have invested heavily in his quality and they will expect end product, resilience and intensity. Pre-season matters for him more than most.

Van Dijk and others could follow quickly

Virgil van Dijk, Cody Gakpo and Ryan Gravenberch should not be far behind. The Netherlands were eliminated by Morocco on June 30, which places their likely return date on Tuesday, July 21.

The same schedule could also apply to Alexander Isak after Sweden were beaten by France on the same day. If everything runs to plan, Iraola may go from a thin group to something much closer to a proper first-team environment within 48 hours.

Alexis Mac Allister still waits on final

Alexis Mac Allister remains unavailable for now because he is preparing for the World Cup final this Sunday, where he will meet Liverpool team-mate Victor Munoz. That is good for profile, less useful for pre-season planning.

Alisson Becker is another who could return next week, although the strict three-week calculation means he is not technically due back until Sunday, by which point Liverpool will already be in the US.

Iraola needs numbers, not theory

There may be minor variations. Some players return early, some take the full break, some arrive a day or two later. What matters is the broader point. Iraola’s first weeks have been disrupted, and that cannot be ignored. Managers need players, not placeholders.

If the current schedule holds, Liverpool should welcome Wirtz back first on Monday, followed by Van Dijk, Gakpo, Gravenberch and Isak on Tuesday. For a head coach trying to impose new ideas quickly, that is not perfect. It is, however, a start.