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Image source, Getty Images

Charlotte Coates

BBC Sport journalist

Liverpool manager Arne Slot said Luis Diaz was left out of the friendly defeat against AC Milan because of speculation surrounding a move for the Colombia forward.

The Premier League champions rejected an opening bid of £58m from Bayern Munich earlier this month for Diaz, whose contract expires in the summer of 2027.

While Slot said Darwin Nunez missed the game against Milan in Hong Kong with an injury, he confirmed Diaz was omitted "due to speculation on his future".

Liverpool have signed forwards Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike already this summer and are in pursuit of Newcastle United's Alexander Isak.

Diaz arrived at Anfield from Porto in a deal worth an initial £37m in January 2022 and was an integral part of the squad that won the 2023-24 Premier League.

Liverpool's record signing Wirtz made his first start for his new club against Milan at a sold-out Kai Tak Stadium.

Liverpool legend Sir Kenny Dalglish laid a wreath of flowers before kick-off and the players had 'Diogo J 20' on their shirts in tribute to their former team-mate Diogo Jota, who died in a car accident as he and his brother Andre Silva drove through the Spanish province of Zamora earlier this month.

The Premier League champions dominated the opening 10 minutes but it was the Italian side who opened the scoring when a counter-attack ended with Rafael Leao smashing past Alisson Becker.

Dominik Szoboszlai equalised with a fine curling strike into the top corner of Mike Maignan's goal from the edge of the box.

England midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek restored Milan's lead early in the second half as the Reds were again caught short at the back and Noah Okafor made it 3-1 with a brilliant finish beyond Liverpool's new Georgia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili.

Cody Gakpo pulled one back in added time with a header from Ibrahima Konate's pinpoint ball into the box but an awful mix-up between Mamardashvili and Kostas Tsimikas allowed Okafor to net his second.

Liverpool now travel to Japan and will play Yokohama F.

Marinos on Wednesday.

Image source, Getty Images

Wirtz, a £116m signing from Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen, filled a unfamiliar false nine role against Milan with Nunez and Diaz missing and new signing Ekitike not ready to play.

The Germany playmaker had exciting 16-year-old Rio Ngumoha on his left and Mohamed Salah in his usual right wing position.

Slot is expected to use Wirtz either as an attacking midfielder behind the striker or a narrow left-sided forward, but in Hong Kong he showed he was capable of linking the forward line from an advanced central role.

His speed of thought and first touch kept him a step ahead of his opponents and opened up space for him to drive forward with the ball.

There was disappointment when he did not re-emerge for the second half, but fans got a look at Liverpool's other new signings - right-back Jeremie Frimpong and left-back Milos Kerkez - as they were introduced at half-time.

News broke before kick-off that versatile defender Joe Gomez had flown back to England for work on an Achilles injury and that leaves Liverpool with just two fit senior centre-backs.

Liverpool looked exposed in defence in both halves, with Virgil van Dijk starting the first period and Konate taking the captain's place in the second.

In the absence of Gomez, Ryan Gravenberch started alongside Van Dijk at the heart of the defence, meaning the usual midfield shield was missing.

Liverpool are already a central defender short after Jarell Quansah's transfer to Bayer Leverkusen, with Andrew Robertson used as a centre-back in the pre-season win at Preston North End and now it was the turn of another left-back, Tsimikas, to fill in.

However Slot said: "I don't think we have a concern at centre-back.

"Wataru Endo can play there.

So we have enough options but it is true that Jarell Quansah left and we haven't replaced him yet."

With 12 months left on his contract, Liverpool have been linked with a move for Crystal Palace and England defender Marc Guehi this summer and Gomez's injury could increase that interest.

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