Arne Slot set to be without at least five senior players for start of Liverpool pre-season tour

Alexis Mac Allister took up a new position as he helped Argentina book their place in the Copa America quarter-finals on Tuesday night.

The Liverpool midfielder started as a left midfielder in a 4-4-2 for the reigning World champions' opening victory over Canada and set up the opening goal for Julian Alvarez in their 2-0 win.

But Lionel Scaloni made two changes to his midfield against Chile as Enzo Fernandez and Nicolas Gonzalez came in for Angel Di Maria and Leandro Paredes. Consequently, Mac Allister partnered Chelsea man Fernandez and was stationed as their deepest sitting midfielder, with Gonzalez taking his place on the left and Rodrigo De Paul moving to the right.

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A late strike from Lautaro Martínez earned a 1-0 victory for Argentina to earn qualification to the knockout stages with a game left to play. However, they have not yet clinched top spot, with Canada able to finish level on points with them if the final round of group games go their way.

Unlike at the European Championship, position is first decided by goal difference when points are level as opposed to head to head record. Consequently, Argentina would have already secured top spot if they were competing at Euro 2024, but will have to wait to clinch first place at the Copa America. They are in the driving seat, though, boasting a goal difference of +3 compared to Canada’s -1.

Argentina will take on Peru in their final group game on June 29 while Canada will lock horns with Chile.

If Argentina win Group A, they will face the runners-up of Group B in the next round. If they are usurped, they will face the Group B winners instead, with Venezuela, Mexico, Ecuador or Jamaica their possible opposition regardless.

Their quarter-final clash will either take place on July 4 or July 5, depending on final group position. Argentina are expected to progress further in the tournament, but with Liverpool traditionally granting their international players three weeks’ holiday after their tournament excursions come to an end, it means the Reds will be left without Mac Allister for much of pre-season.

Should Argentina suffer a quarter-final exit, he would only report back on the eve of their pre-season tour to the United States at the end of July, depending on when the squad fly out. Reach the semi-finals and he will miss the start of such a tour at the very least.

Meanwhile, with Darwin Nunez's Uruguay are currently on course to face either Luis Diaz's Colombia or Alisson Becker's Brazil in the quarter-finals on July 6, at least one of the trio is looking likely to reach at least the Copa America semi-finals. Taking place on July 9 and July 10, participation will overlap with the start of the United States tour.

Mac Allister wasn’t the only Liverpool player in international action on Tuesday as England, France and the Netherlands all secured their place in the Euro 2024 round-of-16.

Trent Alexander-Arnold was dropped from midfield by Gareth Southgate before coming on at right-back as an 84th minute substitute as England were held to a dismal 0-0 draw with Slovenia. Joe Gomez was left unused, but the result was still enough for the Three Lions to top Group C and avoid potential round-of-16 meetings with Germany or Portugal in the process.

However, they are currently on course to face the Netherlands after Ronald Koeman’s side suffered a shock 3-2 loss to Austria to finish third in Group D. Cody Gakpo scored his second goal of the tournament to cancel out Donyell Malen's own goal and level the scores at 1-1 just after the break, but Virgil van Dijk was ultimately at fault for Marcel Sabitzer’s late winner.

Ryan Gravenberch was left unused for the third group game in a row - as was Ibrahima Konate as France drew 1-1 with Poland despite reports prior to the game suggesting he had been set to start.

As things stand, England will face Netherlands on Sunday as a result, though results in Group E on Wednesday evening could see the Three Lions face its third-placed side instead.

If the Dutch do prove to be their next opponents, then Arne Slot will welcome back at least two members of his inherited squad for pre-season training a week before Liverpool travel to the United States, joining Andy Robertson following Scotland’s elimination last weekend. However, the victors’ Reds players would be at risk of missing the start of the USA tour courtesy of their progression in the tournament with their would-be quarter-final clash pencilled in for July 6.

One of Dominik Szoboszlai and Vitezslav Jaros will also join the Scot in suffering a group-stage exit and making a premature return for pre-season. Hungary are currently on course to progress to the knockout stages as one of the best-placed third-placed sides, but if Czechia beat Turkey on Wednesday night, they will progress instead at the Hungarians’ expense.

If Hungary reach the round-of-16, another Liverpool match-up is on the cards with the third-placed side in Group A a possible opponent for Diogo Jota's Portugal in the next round. Consequently, while either the Portuguese or Szoboszlai would report back for pre-season a week before the Reds' US Tour, the other would only be due back on the eve of Slot's side's first scheduled friendly against Real Betis on July 27 (UK Time).

As a result, while Robertson is currently due back roughly a week into pre-season, along with either Szoboszlai or Jaros, Slot is now poised to be without a number of his international players until late-July at the earliest.