5 Liverpool players to watch out for during pre-season

#3 Takumi Minamino

Takumi Minamino joined Liverpool in January 2020

Takumi Minamino joined Liverpool from Red Bull Salzburg in January 2020. His impressive performance across both legs of a UEFA Champions League fixture against the Reds a few months earlier had been the perfect audition.

Things did not, however, go to plan for the former Cerezo Osaka man as he struggled for playing time at Anfield. A half-season loan spell at Southampton hardly helped matters and feelers from Liverpool's camp suggest the club would be open to letting him leave this summer.

A positive pre-season performance could change Jurgen Klopp's mind and Minamino will have to considerably step up his output to save his Liverpool future.

#2 Harvey Elliot

Harvey Elliot was on loan with Blackburn Rovers last season

Harvey Elliot is regarded as the future of Liverpool's midfield. After a season-long loan spell with Blackburn where he furthered his development and gained regular playing time in the Championship, he is back and ready to claim a place in Klopp's side.

Elliot had a meteoric rise in the Fulham youth set-up and went on to break several records in what was a stunning start to his professional career.

Liverpool are supposed to be a stepping stone to the next stage of his fledgling career and the 18-year-old has the quality to fight for a place in the starting lineup.

How he performs for the rest of pre-season will go a long way in determining whether he is blooded with the first-team or sent out on another loan to further his development.

#1 Mo Salah

Mohamed Salah has been Liverpool's talisman ever since he joined the club from AS Roma in the summer of 2017.

The Egypt international has performed with unbelievable consistency. He has been one of the key figures in helping the club reclimb to the summit of the domestic and continental game.

Salah was one of a handful of Liverpool players that emerged from last season with some credit. He maintained his high standards despite most of his teammates struggling around him.

The goalscoring burden will once again be on the 29-year-old heading into the new campaign. If Liverpool are to reclaim glory, Salah's performance will go a long way in helping them attain it.

So far, the former Chelsea man has failed to find the back of the net in any of the two pre-season fixtures, which is surprising considering his high standards.

However, Salah still has enough armory in his arsenal to make the rest of his pre-season campaign a success.

Also See: Five Arsenal players to watch during pre-season

About the author

Elvis is a seasoned football journalist and has been with Sportskeeda for more than 6 years. He specializes in writing match previews across several leagues and competitions around the world, and his insightful tips have amassed a total readership in excess of 9.2 million till date. Elvis' meticulous attention to detail and strictly following SK's editorial guidelines have been key to achieving a vast readership. He has also exclusively covered the 2021 Nigerian Universiy Games and has provided research for an upcoming biography for a Nigerian football legend.

Elvis has been a Super Eagles fan since 2004, and them beating defending champions Cameroon in the AFCON that year left a lasting impact on him. He supports Sporting Lagos at club level and loves to watch games live at the Onikan Stadium due to its buzzing atmosphere. His favorite football players are former Nigerian forward, Osaze Odemwingie and former Real Madrid legend Raul Gonzalez.

If Elvis could change one football rule, it would be to not be booked for celebrating with pitch side fans. He believes that football is a passionate game and celebrations should be encouraged to the fullest. When not analyzing the latest previews, Elvis indulges in activities such as swimming, reading, and karaoke.

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Edited by Sankalp Srivastava