Liverpool's pre-season campaign kicks off with a trip to Preston and there are a number of players who have a point to prove ahead of the new Premier League season
Arne Slot enjoyed an excellent first season in charge of Liverpool, guiding them to the Premier League title and finishing ten points above runners-up Arsenal. Slot will be hoping to repeat the feat this season and there has already been plenty of personnel change over the summer.
Jeremie Frimpong, Florian Wirtz, Milos Kerkez, Giorgi Mamardashvili and Freddie Woodman have all signed, while Trent Alexander-Arnold, Caoimhin Kelleher, Jarell Quansah and Nat Phillips have left the club.
It is set to be a hugely important pre-season for the Reds as they look to bed in their new signings, while there are several fringe players and young prospects who will be looking to showcase their qualities.
Here, Mirror Football takes a look at seven players with a point to prove as Liverpool kick off their pre-season with a trip to Preston...
Florian Wirtz
Having made a blockbuster move to Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen this summer in a deal worth a potential £116m, there is a lot of expectation on Florian Wirtz's shoulders.
The 22-year-old was wanted by Manchester City and Bayern Munich before deciding on a move to Anfield, having produced 31 goal contributions in 45 appearances across all competitions last summer.
Wirtz is set to take over the No. 10 role from Dominik Szoboszlai and will be keen to hit the ground running in pre-season and prove that it was money well spent.
Florian Wirtz
Florian Wirtz will be looking to hit the ground running in pre-season
Giorgi Mamardashvili
Giorgi Mamardashvili has joined from Valencia as a future replacement for Alisson and the 24-year-old will be hoping to become No. 1 sooner rather than later.
Having impressed in LaLiga and at Euro 2024, Mamardashvili is very highly-rated and is likely to receive plenty of opportunities this season. Alisson missed a number of games last season through injury, with Caoimhin Kelleher deputising for him 20 times across all competitions.
Mamardashvili has an early opportunity to put pressure on Alisson in pre-season and a series of impressive displays could leave Arne Slot with a difficult decision to make.
Giorgi Mamardashvili
Giorgi Mamardashvili is set to compete with Alisson to be Liverpool's No. 1
Milos Kerkez
After making a £40m move to Anfield from Bournemouth, Milos Kerkez is expected to start the season as Liverpool's first-choice left-back.
Andrew Robertson came in for criticism at times last season and has been linked with a move away, although that has yet to materialise and the 31-year-old has indicated a desire to fight for his place.
As a result, Kerkez will need to hit the ground running at Liverpool and continue the impressive form he showed at Bournemouth last season in order to stay ahead of Robertson in the pecking order.
Milos Kerkez
Milos Kerkez is facing competition from Andrew Robertson
Conor Bradley
Although new signing Jeremie Frimpong is expected to be Liverpool's first-choice right-back following Trent Alexander-Arnold's move to Real Madrid, Conor Bradley does have an opportunity to showcase his qualities in pre-season.
Bradley has deputised for Alexander-Arnold in recent seasons and is approaching a crossroads in his career. Now 22, Bradley is ready to be a regular starter in the Premier League and it remains to be seen whether he will receive enough game time at Liverpool.
Conor Bradley
Conor Bradley is set for a huge pre-season(Image: undefined via Getty Images)
Harvey Elliott
After starring for England as they won the European Under-21 Championship last month, Harvey Elliott will be hoping to carry that momentum into pre-season.
Elliott managed just six starts across all competitions last season and has spoken openly about potentially leaving Liverpool for more game time this summer. As a result, he will be looking to impress in pre-season whether he stays at Liverpool or ends up leaving.
Harvey Elliott
Harvey Elliott's Liverpool future is up in the air
Stefan Bajcetic
After a difficult loan spell at Red Bull Salzburg in the first half of last season, Stefan Bajcetic enjoyed a much more fruitful stint at Las Palmas during the second half of the campaign.
Arne Slot is a big fan of the 20-year-old, having previously said Bajcetic "could become a very important player" for Liverpool, and the midfielder is facing a pivotal season.
It remains to be seen whether he will be sent out on loan again, but some impressive performances in pre-season could see him handed some first-team opportunities at Anfield.
Stefan Bajcetic
Arne Slot is a big fan of Stefan Bajcetic(Image: Getty Images)
Ben Doak
Ben Doak impressed on loan at Middlesbrough last season, producing 10 goal contributions in 24 games in the Championship.
A number of Premier League clubs are said to be interested in signing the 19-year-old this summer, but it remains to be seen what Liverpool's plans are for the winger.
With Federico Chiesa and Darwin Nunez both linked with exits, there could be some opportunities for Doak in the first-team and some impressive pre-season performances could force Arne Slot's hand.
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