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Diogo Jota and his wife Rute Cardoso, who will be in attendance at Anfield for the first game of the season tonight(Image: Rute Cardoso/Instagram)

Arne Slot has said Diogo Jota's family will be in attendance for Liverpool FC's game against Bournemouth tonight.

The Reds' head coach has taken to his programme notes ahead of Friday's opening Premier League and said Jota's wife, Rute, and their children will be in attendance at the stadium tonight.

The Dutchman vowed everyone associated with the club will always be there for the family as he said: "As I have said previously, the tributes that been paid throughout the football world, and especially within the LFC community, have been truly special, and I know that tonight we will come together to honour them once more.

"I believe that Diogo's wife, his children and his family will be in attendance and it is important that, as a club, we show that they will always have our love and support as they deal with this most tragic of situations.

We are there for them always."

Jota's legacy has been forever preserved at Anfield after the club retired the number 20 shirt the Portuguese star had made his own since joining Liverpool in 2020.

The club have taken the decision with the move not only a reflection of Jota’s contributions to Liverpool as a player, which saw him help the Reds win the Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup in five years at Anfield, but also the profound personal impact he made on teammates, colleagues and supporters.

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Michael Edwards, FSG CEO of Football, said: "As a club, we were all acutely aware of the sentiment of our supporters – and we felt exactly the same way.

It was vitally important to us to involve Diogo’s wife, Rute, and his family in the decision and to ensure they were the first to know of our intention.

“I believe this is the first time in Liverpool Football Club’s history that such an honour has been bestowed upon an individual.

“Diogo joined us in 2020, he won us number 20, and he wore – with honour, distinction and affection – the number 20.

“As far as Liverpool Football Club is concerned, he will be forever our number 20.” Billy Hogan, John Henry, Tom Werner and Mike Gordon added in a joint statement: “The fact that in the long and storied history of our club this honour has never previously been bestowed shows the significance of Diogo to Liverpool Football Club.

“His memory and contribution will be immortalised by his association with the number 20.

The good memories that we have with them here will always live."

The academy at Gondomar Sporte Club was renamed in honour of Jota in 2022 as the forward played for the team until he was 17 years old before he joined Paços de Ferreira.

To commemorate his time at the club, a mural was created featuring an image of Jota as a child in the Gondomar kit and then later in his career when he represented the Portugal national side.

A quote on the centre of the mural reads : "Nao e importante de onde vimos mas sim para onde vamos." A translation of this reads: "It's not important where we come from but where we're going."

Members of the community told the ECHO about the meaning behind the quote as Jota's journey to become a Premier League star was one of the reasons he symbolised so much to the people of Gondomar.

A Gondomar native named Goncalo Ferreira said this unique journey is why he is such an inspirational figure to the people in the small city located 7km east of Porto.

He marked his career in football in a special way because he didn't follow everyone.

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"He followed his convictions." Rita Silva also echoed the meaning of the quotes as she explained how Jota was an inspiration to his community.

The 17-year-old said: "He was the boy who got out.