Liverpool returned to pre-season training on Tuesday in the wake of the death of teammate Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva last Thursday.

The football world was shocked by the sudden deaths of the pair last week, and their passing has devastated Reds fans, who had been in celebratory mood this summer following the team's Premier League title win in 2024-25.

While supporters are still mourning Jota, the Portuguese star's teammates are certain to have been hugely impacted by the loss of a close friend.

It would be understandable if it was difficult for the players to focus on their training considering the still raw nature of Jota's passing.

Lynch acknowledged that not every player will feel the same, but he suggested that pre-season could serve as a welcome distraction, telling Sports Mole: "Knowing a few footballers down the years, training will suit a lot of them, to head into work and use that as a distraction because that's the thing they've always known, and you can go into autopilot doing that, so I think that will suit a lot of them.

"It seems crazy but the season will come, the pre-season tour will come and the players will as professionals want to be ready for that so they have got to get stuck into that work, though it does seem mad to be talking about training at this point, but that is the nature of football.

"It's going to be a tough day for a lot of them I expect but each day that you come in, each day that you do that bit of extra work, it will be a step towards adapting to that new normal that's coming, so I guess it's a positive in that sense."

Liverpool are scheduled to play a friendly against Preston North End on July 13, but the club are set to consult its players and staff before going ahead with the clash.

Giving the players the time they need

Manager Arne Slot faces the difficult task of trying to navigate the squad's grief amidst the need to prepare for the coming season.

Though some may benefit from participating in training, it is important that players and staff are given the time and space they need to come to terms with the loss they have experienced.

Liverpool were initially scheduled to return to training last Friday, with the majority of the squad to return on Monday, but the decision was taken to delay their arrival until Tuesday.

Speaking to Sports Mole, Lynch discussed the difficult reality of the Reds return, saying: "It speaks to the nature of football that they aren't going to get the time and space in terms of being able to properly grieve their friend because it's just ceaseless, and they obviously postponed the start of pre-season training.

"It would have started at the back end of last week, but at some point they've got to come back in because it's like with the sports science elements of this, they all will want to be prepared as best they possibly can for the new season coming.

"That new season will come regardless of the loss that they've experienced. That feels flippant and brutal to say, but that is the reality that they're working within unfortunately. They won't get that time so you've got to come back today and start that process.

"I'm sure they will be taking it very easy today, and it will be spent talking about the loss they've experienced and how they move forward from it rather than getting their head straight down into work, but then that process will start slowly from there."

Liverpool will kick off the 2025-26 Premier League season with a clash against Bournemouth at Anfield on August 15, but they will also play against Crystal Palace in the Community Shield at Wembley on August 10, and preparation will be important to ensure the champions start the campaign in a strong manner.

Preston friendly

Liverpool's friendly against Preston is set to be aired by ITV on Sunday, but no decision has yet been made on whether it will take place.

The Reds are scheduled to take on AC Milan on July 26 in their next match in Hong Kong, the first game of their tour of Asia, though there is a chance that their fixture against the Italian side could be their first outing of pre-season.

While Lynch would understand if the friendly was called off, he spoke of how it could benefit the players, when he told Sports Mole: "On the friendly that's coming up on Sunday, I would totally understand if it doesn't go ahead and that will be down to the players and the staff.

"I am of the mindset to say that it probably would be a positive for it to go ahead. That first game without Diogo is coming and there's no getting away from that. Would delaying it make that any easier? I'm not so sure. I know it's going to be hard, it's going to be upsetting. There's going to be tears in the stands and on the pitch.

"But it's the grieving process - you have to walk yourself through it - and I think that would be the first step. Do you want to wait till the pre-season games when they're on tour to do that? It could be best to almost get it out the way, that first game. Knowing what players are generally like, there may be a similar mindset.

"There is an opportunity to see it as a positive and as just one step towards feeling, not necessarily better, but a little better and also a bit more normal."

Slot will also want to embed his new signings into the team as early as possible, though the club will ultimately come to a collective decision regarding their game against Preston.

> Click here to listen to Sports Mole's tribute to Diogo Jota

Written by
Lewis Nolan