Image Credits: Imago Images
Liverpool will have plenty of senior players heading back to pre-season earlier than expected.
The Netherlands – and with them Virgil van Dijk, Ryan Gravenberch, and Cody Gakpo – were dramatically eliminated by Morocco on penalties in the Round of 32, while Germany’s Florian Wirtz and Sweden’s Alexander Isak also saw their respective nations exit at the same stage, with Germany falling to Paraguay and Sweden losing to France.
Their focus will soon shift across the Atlantic. Liverpool are heading to the United States later this month for a three-game tour that will form the backbone of their 2026-27 preparations.
The Reds will face Sunderland at GEODIS Park in Nashville on Saturday July 25, before travelling to New York to meet Wrexham at Yankee Stadium on July 29.
The tour concludes in Chicago, where Liverpool will take on Leeds United at Soldier Field on August 2.
It is against this broader backdrop that a new report from the BBC has shed light on when some of Liverpool’s biggest names are expected back.
Aadam Patel of the BBC has reported that that captain Virgil van Dijk, along with Dutch teammates Ryan Gravenberch and Cody Gakpo, plus Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak, are all scheduled to rejoin the squad on July 20 – the day after the World Cup final and five days before the opener in Nashville:
“The likes of captain Virgil van Dijk, Ryan Gravenberch, Cody Gakpo, Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak were all eliminated in the round-of-32 and are expected to join up with the squad after their time off, when Liverpool depart for their pre-season tour of USA on July 20 – a day after the World Cup final.”
Brazil’s elimination to Norway means that Alisson Becker is also expected to link up slightly later, once his post‑tournament break concludes.
“With Brazil losing to Norway in the round-of-16, Alisson Becker is also expected to join up later on”
By the time Liverpool kick off against Sunderland in Tennessee, Andoni Iraola should have the majority of his senior core at least with the USA tour squad.