Liverpool Faces Pre-Season Challenges Ahead of New Season
Liverpool’s pre-season friendly against AS Monaco ended in a 3-2 defeat at Anfield on Sunday, with notable absences in the squad. Jeremy Jacquet and Curtis Jones did not participate in the match as the team continues to manage player injuries.
Jacquet, who recently transferred from Rennes for £60 million, has joined pre-season training but has not yet played in a friendly for Liverpool. The club is taking a careful approach with the French defender, as he continues to recover from a shoulder injury sustained in March. Head coach Andoni Iraola expressed hope that Jacquet will be fit for their final pre-season fixture against Como next Sunday, indicating the team’s decision to hold him out was precautionary. “Jeremy Jacquet, we were in doubt whether to put him [in the squad] today; we decided not, but he should be fine for the next one. It is taking a little bit of time, as we expected,” he said in an interview with LFCTV.
Jones, meanwhile, has drawn interest from Inter Milan, fuelling speculation around his absence from the Monaco match. However, Iraola clarified that the English midfielder missed the game due to a hip injury he sustained during training. “Curtis [Jones] has trained every day but yesterday finished with issues in the hip. It doesn’t look anything big but it didn’t make any sense to risk and those are the ones, more or less, closer to a return,” Iraola noted.
In addition to Jacquet and Jones, Joe Gomez, Conor Bradley, and Giovanni Leoni are also sidelined, and are expected to miss Liverpool’s opening Premier League match against Newcastle United.
Amid these injury concerns, Liverpool is set to bolster its defensive lineup by agreeing to sign Barcelona centre-back Ronald Araujo on loan. The club plans to announce Araujo’s arrival on Monday, marking him as their third signing of the summer.
Jeremy Jacquet and Curtis Jones missed Liverpool’s 3-2 defeat to AS Monaco in a pre-season friendly at Anfield on Sunday.
Jacquet started pre-season training with Liverpool following his £60 million move from Rennes but has yet to feature in a friendly for the club.
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The Reds are taking a cautious approach with the French defender, as he has yet to fully recover from the shoulder injury he sustained in March.
Head coach Andoni Iraola expects Jacquet to be available for their final pre-season fixture against Como at Anfield next Sunday.
He told LFCTV: “Jeremy Jacquet, we were in doubt whether to put him [in the squad] today; we decided not, but he should be fine for the next one. It is taking a little bit of time, as we expected.”
Jones has been linked with Inter Milan, leading to speculations that his absence against Monaco was related to a potential move to the Italian champions.
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However, Iraola confirmed that the English midfielder missed the clash due to an injury sustained in training.
“Curtis [Jones], he has trained every day but yesterday finished with issues in the hip,” he continued.
“It doesn’t look anything big but it didn’t make any sense to risk and those are the ones, more or less, closer to a return.”
Meanwhile, Joe Gomez, Conor Bradley and Giovanni Leoni remain sidelined. The trio are expected to miss Liverpool’s opening Premier League encounter away to Newcastle United.
With Liverpool short of centre-back and right-back options, the Reds have now decided to sign Barcelona centre-back Ronald Araujo on loan.
Liverpool are expected to announce Araujo’s arrival on Monday. The Barcelona defender is set to become their third signing of the summer.
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