Jurgen Klopp dealt early Liverpool blow with just NINE players set to start pre

Jurgen Klopp had hoped for a smooth preseason, but Liverpool's plans are set to be disrupted by international matches, with only a small group due back on the first day

Jurgen Klopp is facing an early obstacle to his hopes of recovering from a disappointing season, with just nine players set to be available for the start of pre-season.

Liverpool endured a difficult campaign, finishing outside the Champions League qualification places and failing to win a trophy. It sets the stage for a huge pre-season, with the Reds squad set to undergo a major overhaul over the summer transfer window.

Klopp will have wanted a smooth pre-season in order to get his ideas across to a revamped squad. But it appears the German will be forced to manage a more disjointed training schedule than he first expected, with only nine players due back on the first day.

According to This Is Anfield, international fixtures means that a smaller squad will assemble on July 8. There will then be a staggered schedule of arrivals for the rest of the squad to follow a few days later.

Four friendlies have already been confirmed as well as two trips overseas for training camps and matches. Players not involved in a national team in June will return in early July, following a six-week break.

That group is expected to comprise Fabinho, Thiago Alcantara, Darwin Nunez, Joe Gomez, Adrian, Joel Matip, Calvin Ramsay and Stefan Bajcetic. The latter two are both coming off long injury lay-offs, with Ramsay's debut season at Anfield having been blighted by trips to the treatment room.

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They will have to be carefully managed during the early parts of pre-season to ensure they stay fit. Fabio Carvalho could also join the group of nine, though the Portuguese youngster is expected to leave Anfield.

There is still a month for his future to be sorted out though, with R Leipzig leading the chase fo his signature. Jamie Carragher has previously urged Klopp to also move on Matip, though the centre-back is not expected to leave before the first day back.

With those featuring in internationals not due back until 11 July, Klopp could supplement his squad with members of the academy. Tyler Morton, Leighton Clarkson, Kaide Gordon and Jarres Quansah are thought to be the leading candidates to join the first-team group.

Liverpool confirmed further details of their pre-season plans earlier this week, with friendles scheduled against Karlsruher SC, Greuther Furth, Leicester and Bayern Munich. Speaking after the Reds' final game of the season, Klopp admitted it would be a busy summer.

"All of a sudden we have to be a dominant team, teams are waiting for us when we arrive there, we couldn't sort it as good as we wanted. We expect from ourselves to solve it quicker, but we work with human beings and sometimes it takes a bit longer," he said.

"I'm absolutely fine... I don't have a break. I don't have training [or] these kind of things. A really busy period hopefully starts now as well in a different area of the game. I'm more than happy to do that and I will find time to re-energise and then we start again in July."

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