Preseason status of Liverpool stars as Arne Slot handed midfield boost

Liverpool will miss many of its most recognizable players during preseason preparations this summer. However, incoming manager Arne Slot can now count on Wataru Endo throughout the preseason in an important boost.

The 31-year-old has been omitted from the Japan squad for the Olympic Games in Paris, despite expressing his desire to be selected.

Elsewhere, though, Liverpool players remain on international duty. Alisson is soon set to go head-to-head with team-mate Darwin Nunez in the Copa America quarter-finals following a 1-1 draw with Colombia, featuring Luis Diaz.

Despite the draw, Colombia secured the top spot in Group D and will face Panama in the quarter-finals on July 6. However, as runners-up, Brazil will now compete against Uruguay in the last eight on the same date.

READ MORE: Liverpool's Alisson faces Brazil media scrutiny after latest Copa America effort
READ MORE: Liverpool may have just let 'next Frank Lampard' walk away for nothing

With 11 Liverpool internationals still participating in both the Copa America and Euro 2024, it's clear they'll miss the start of the Reds' preseason tour of the United States. Arne Slot's squad is scheduled to fly to Pittsburgh on July 23, with its first pre-season friendly against Real Betis slated for July 26 (U.S. time).

Liverpool usually gives players a three-week break after offseason international duties. So, even though either Alisson or Nunez will exit the Copa America early after their quarter-final clash, the player who gets knocked out won't return for preseason until the end of July.

The semi-finals on July 10 could see either Alisson or Nunez pitted against Diaz, if Colombia can overcome Panama and then face the victors of Brazil versus Uruguay.

With Argentina also in the quarter-finals against Ecuador, Liverpool may be without three of its four South American stars until later in the summer. Alexis Mac Allister is another Red hoping for a lengthy Copa America campaign with the current world and South American champions.

In other news, Cody Gakpo's performance helped the Netherlands reach the Euro 2024 quarter-finals, meaning Liverpool will be without all seven of their players involved in the tournament until late July.

Gakpo scored and assisted in the Dutch's 3-0 win over Romania, setting up a quarter-final clash with Turkey on July 6. He joins Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez, Diogo Jota and Ibrahima Konate in the last eight.

Gakpo is currently leading the race for the Golden Boot at Euro 2024, having scored three goals and provided an assist. Virgil van Dijk, Liverpool's captain, led the Dutch to a victory over Romania, silencing critics with a clean sheet.

Ryan Gravenberch, however, remained on the bench. Either Jota or Konate will return to Liverpool for preseason training at the end of July, while Slot's team is in the United States. Portugal will face France in the quarter-finals, with the winner advancing to the semi-finals on July 9.

If both England and the Netherlands defeat Switzerland and Turkey respectively, they could face each other in the semi-finals on July 10. This could mean that all five English and Dutch Reds, along with either Jota or Konate, might not be available until early August.

Liverpool is set to play Manchester United in its third U.S. preseason friendly on August 3 (U.S. time). This raises the question of whether the remaining international players should join the first team squad in the United States for a few days, or start their preseason preparations alone back at the AXA Training Centre.