Below is a summary of the full article. Click here for the full version or go back to LFC Live.net

Image Credits: Getty Images

Liverpool FC are set to postpone the start of their pre-season according to reports.

The first wave of players under new manager Arne Slot had been due to report to the AXA Training Centre on Friday for initial fitness assessments following their summer break.

Those plans have now been shelved according to PA News Agency, with the club opting to delay the start of pre-season activities.

The decision comes in the wake of the tragic car accident in Spain that claimed the lives of 28-year-old Jota and his brother in the early hours of Thursday.

An official confirmation from the club regarding pre-season could follow.

A wake is scheduled for Friday afternoon at 3pm in the adjoining chapel of the São Cosme funeral parlour, where friends, family and the community will gather to share memories and pay their respects.

The formal funeral service will take place on Saturday at 10am in the Igreja Matriz de Gondomar, after which the brothers will be laid to rest in the local cemetery.

Gondomar has declared a day of municipal mourning, with flags flying at half-mast and local businesses closing in solidarity.

Liverpool manager Arne Slot described Jota as “a friend to everyone” and someone who “never sought fame but achieved it effortlessly”.

Portugal’s football federation mourned the loss of “two champions,” while tributes poured in from across the football world, with moments of silence observed at the Women’s European Championship on Thursday evening.

Miguel Goncalves, Diogo Jota’s physio, revealed that the pair were en-route to Liverpool when the heartbreaking tragedy occurred:

“I said goodbye to him and his brother, Andre, at around 8:30 p.m,” Goncalves told Portuguese outlet Record.

“His brother was a great companion and decided to go with him, to accompany him on the trip, and that way they would also spend more time together.

Diogo was very aware of his professionalism.

“They were only supposed to arrive in Santander today, catch the boat and then go to England.”

Want to get the latest Liverpool news direct to your phone