Josh Abe is expected to start pre-season with Andoni Iraola‘s first team, with the 15-year-old winger already preparing in training with an ex-Liverpool defender.
Abe has been handed the No. 40 shirt and is set to join Liverpool’s senior setup for pre-season after committing his long-term future to the club.
The teenager was in demand this summer as the likes of Man United, Chelsea and Man City registered their interest, but the pathway laid out at Anfield saw him turn down offers worth as much as £50,000 a week.
Part of Liverpool’s vision for Abe was a swift promotion to the first team, which will begin in pre-season during Iraola’s first summer in charge.
Having seen his campaign end prematurely due to a knee injury suffered in February, the right winger is now fully fit and ready for a return to the AXA Training Centre.
That has seen him work one-on-one with former Liverpool academy defender Kris Owens, who now operates as a personal trainer.
Owens joined the Reds as an eight-year-old and progressed through the ranks as a left-back until his release in 2017, before spells with Bristol Rovers and Connah’s Quay.
A serious injury in 2023 led to him founding Koached, which sees him coaching young players in the Merseyside area – along with sessions with close friend Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Working with Abe this week, Owens put the youngster through a series of finishing drills, honing his ability to cut inside onto his favoured left foot.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, February 7, 2026: Liverpool's Joshua Abe has his left boot taken off in a challenge with Everton's Shea Pita (L) during the U18 Premier League match between Liverpool FC Under-18's and Everton FC Under-18's, the Mini-Mini Merseyside Derby, at Finch Farm. Everton won 2-1. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Abe can then look to hit the ground running when Liverpool begin pre-season on July 13, which will mark the start of Iraola’s work with the squad.
He could be given a big opportunity to impress on tour in the United States, with no replacement for Mohamed Salah signed as of yet and new winger Victor Munoz representing Spain at the World Cup.
Iraola is set to welcome a strong squad back for day one of pre-season but he remains short of natural attackers with Hugo Ekitike injured.
Who will report back first for Liverpool’s pre-season?
Position Players Reporting Back
Goalkeepers Giorgi Mamardashvili, Freddie Woodman, Armin Pecsi
Defenders Joe Gomez, Giovanni Leoni, Jeremy Jacquet, Milos Kerkez, Kostas Tsimikas, Jeremie Frimpong, Calvin Ramsay
Midfielders Dominik Szoboszlai, Curtis Jones, Harvey Elliott, Trey Nyoni, Stefan Bajcetic, James McConnell
Forwards Federico Chiesa, Rio Ngumoha, Jayden Danns, Josh Abe
Federico Chiesa and Rio Ngumoha will be available from the start while Dominik Szoboszlai and Harvey Elliott can provide further flexibility away with their natural midfield roles.
Florian Wirtz, Cody Gakpo and Alexander Isak are set to link up with the Liverpool squad during the USA tour along with Virgil van Dijk and Ryan Gravenberch.
The Reds will face Sunderland (July 25), Wrexham (30) and Leeds (August 2) in a three-stop tour of Nashville, New York and Chicago.