
Liverpool pre-season new start date as tributes planned for Diogo Jota
The brothers lost their lives in a car crash in the early hours of Thursday morning when their vehicle swerved off the road due to a tyre blowout. They were travelling across Spain to catch a ferry back to Merseyside for the start of Liverpool's pre-season.
Following Jota's death, Liverpool decided to delay the beginning of their pre-season training schedule.
The initial group of Reds players had been scheduled to report to the AXA Training Centre on Friday (July 4), with a larger group expected to return on Monday (July 7).
Instead, Slot's team was given additional time off to come to terms with the heartbreaking news of their colleague's death, with most players travelling to Portugal for his funeral, reports the Liverpool Echo.
However, the squad will now reconvene at the AXA Training Centre to kick off their pre-season preparations on Tuesday (July 8).
Liverpool's first summer friendly is currently due to take place next Sunday (July 13) against Preston North End at Deepdale. A decision on whether this match will proceed has not yet been made.
A decision will only be made once the team have returned for pre-season training and after all players and staff have been consulted, as they mourn a close friend and colleague.
Preston are currently preparing in anticipation of the match proceeding, which would be their first home friendly of the summer.
The Championship side will stay in touch with the Premier League champions and will follow their lead when deciding if the friendly will take place.
It is understood that Preston are planning tributes to honour Jota at Deepdale, should Liverpool indeed decide to go ahead with the fixture.

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