Virgil van Dijk is back in training, yet Liverpool still go into the Wrexham friendly with a centre-back shortage. Joe Gomez was injured less than 10 minutes into the Sunderland friendly, and Van Dijk is the only fit senior centre-back available. Liverpool are expected to use Mor Talla Ndiaye and Ifeanyi Ndukwe as the pairing against Wrexham.
Liverpool's centre-back options
That is a thin position for a pre-season game, even allowing for the usual rotation and experimentation. Giovanni Leoni is still recovering from an ACL rupture, so the senior cover is stretched to the point where Liverpool are leaning on youth rather than experience. The club can live with that for a friendly, but it does underline how quickly the defensive picture has narrowed.
Van Dijk and Gakpo back at AXA
There is some better news elsewhere. Van Dijk and Cody Gakpo reported for duty at the AXA Training Centre on Tuesday after extra time off, and Ryan Gravenberch was upbeat about the mood around the group. He told liverpoolecho.co.uk: "I think I had three weeks and I spent it well with my family. I enjoyed the holidays. So yeah, I'm recharged now."
Gravenberch also said: "I think in my whole holiday I haven't thought about football. Just let me enjoy my holiday and when I have to come back I will be back."
He added: "I think everyone is happy. Everyone is happy to be here. I spoke with a few of the lads and they said the training sessions are really nice. They are intense as well, but really nice. So, yeah, everyone is excited, I think."
The return of Van Dijk and Gakpo does ease part of the pre-season load, even if the centre-back picture is still awkward. Van Dijk played 398 minutes across 4 World Cup appearances, and his World Cup rating was 7.38, while Gakpo scored 3 goals in 4 games and Gravenberch supplied 2 assists in 4 games.
The immediate concern is simpler than all that. Liverpool need a makeshift centre-back pairing against Wrexham, and the captain is the only established senior defender available when the game comes around.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →
