Root midfielder Florian Wirtz suddenly did not play in Liverpool's first friendly match in the summer of 2025, the match against Preston North End Club on the evening of July 13.
Initial information said that the most expensive football player in the English Premier League history is expected to have a Liverpool debut in a friendly match against Preston North End.
This is Liverpool's first match since the departure of striker Diogo Jota and younger brother Andre Silva. Many emotional gratitude were sent to the two brothers before the game began, and both teams wore black bandages.
Regarding the squad, coach Arne Slot chose the starting lineup of young players with first -class stars like Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai and Mohamed Salah. Giorgi Mamardashvili, who signed a contract by 2024 but was borrowed by Valencia last season, captured the goalkeeper position, marking the first time he played for the Red Brigade.
Newly signed players in the summer are Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong, Freddie Woodman and Armin Pesc are included in the list of reserve. But Florian Wirtz was unexpectedly not on the competition list.
Fans are concerned that this rookie was sometimes injured, so coach Arne Slot was not used. At this time, not only Wirtz but a few other Liverpool stars are still practicing at Kirkby Training Center.
After Jota died, the players were allowed to rest to stabilize their spirit and psychology before returning to practice. Moreover, there are players who have just been on duty in the national team, so not everyone is energetic to play immediately. So they are asked to practice separately to quickly regain the best condition.
In addition to Wirtz, captain Virgil Van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Alexis Mac Allister and Luis Diaz are other notable players who do not attend the Liverpool match to win Preston 3-1.
