Liverpool have taken the decision to postpone the start of their pre-season training schedule following the tragic death of Diogo Jota
General view of Liverpool's AXA Training Centre, where some of the club's players were supposed to be returning to today (July 4)
General view of Liverpool's AXA Training Centre, where some of the club's players were supposed to be returning to today (July 4)
Liverpool have taken the decision to postpone the start of their pre-season training schedule following the tragic death of Diogo Jota. The Reds striker was travelling with his brother in northern Spain when his car was involved in a fatal accident in the early hours of Thursday (July 3).
Emergency services were called to the scene shortly after midnight but Jota and his younger sibling Andre Silva, who himself played for Portuguese second-tier team Penafiel, were pronounced dead.
Their bodies were returned to their homeland of Portugal on Thursday evening with a wake held in Gondomar on Friday morning (July 4) and their funeral service is planned for Saturday (July 5).
The first phase of Liverpool players were due to report to the AXA Training Centre on Friday (July 4) ahead of a larger contingent returning on Monday (July 7). However, the ECHO understands that the decision to postpone the summer schedule has now been taken.
Those who were slated to head back to the £50m Kirkby base on Friday have instead been granted extra time off to process the shock news of their colleague's passing.
It's unclear at this stage when the players will now head back for testing with the club's fitness staff, while no decision on the first friendly of the summer, against Preston North End on July 13 at Deepdale, has yet been made.
Liverpool are currently slated to fly out for a pre-season tour of Hong Kong and Japan on July 20. They will meet AC Milan at Hong Kong's Kai Tak Sports Park on July 26 before a game with Yokohama F Marinos in Japan on July 30.
Tributes have been pouring in for the respected Jota since his passing, with many of his team-mates paying homage across social media alongside words from head coach Arne Slot, sporting director Richard Hughes and CEO of football Michael Edwards and the club's owners, Fenway Sports Group.