Andoni Iraola gets bittersweet World Cup boost as Liverpool stars likely to join US tour

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Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola will get a bittersweet boost ahead of the Reds’ pre-season tour of the United States after several of his first-team players were eliminated from the World CupAndoni Iraola will be getting several of his Liverpool players back in time for the Reds' pre-season tour(Image: Getty Images)Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola is set to receive a major — albeit bittersweet — boost for the Reds’ stateside pre-season tour after a handful of his players were eliminated from the World Cup earlier than expected.Iraola's squad is expected to reconvene around July 13 in preparation for the 2026-27 campaign, which begins with a Premier League fixture away at Newcastle United on Sunday, August 23. Liverpool’s opening friendly of the pre-season, meanwhile, will be against Sunderland on July 25 at GEODIS Park in Nashville, Tennessee.While fans and pundits alike initially believed that Iraola would be without the large majority of Liverpool’s World Cup representatives for at least the beginning of the club’s U.S. tour, shocking upsets in the quadrennial tournament have suddenly changed things.In Monday’s Round of 32 clash, Paraguay secured its first-ever World Cup knockout victory, defeating Florian Wirtz and Germany 4–3 in a penalty shootout after the match ended 1–1 following extra time.The thrilling encounter ranked as the fourth-biggest upset in the tournament’s knockout stage history based on FIFA rankings, with Paraguay sitting 37th compared to Germany's 12th place heading into the match.Several hours later, the Netherlands — whose squad boasted several Liverpool stars including Virgil van Dijk, Ryan Gravenberch and Cody Gakpo — fell to Morocco on penalties following a 1–1 draw, with the North African country equalizing in the 91st minute before winning the sudden-death shootout, 3-2.Then on Tuesday, Alexander Isak’s Sweden was ousted from the World Cup upon falling to France, 3-0.Virgil van Dijk and the Netherlands fell to Morocco on penalties following a 1–1 draw in the Round of 32(Image: Getty Images)The trio of outcomes will now see Wirtz, Van Dijk, Gravenberch, Gakpo, and Isak likely return to Liverpool’s preseason camp in time for the Reds’ friendly versus Sunderland.Players tend to receive three weeks off after wrapping up their appearance in a major summer tournament, which means the aforementioned players would be expected back around July 22.Upon completing initial testing, the players will gradually ramp up while being brought back into the fold during Liverpool’s pre-season matches.Wirtz, Van Dijk, Gravenberch, Gakpo and Isak could even feature against Sunderland, with their minutes carefully managed by Iraola.If all goes well, they would log more minutes in the second friendly against Wrexham at Yankee Stadium in New York City, then 45 minutes versus Leeds in Liverpool’s third pre-season match at Soldier Field in Chicago.Liverpool would undoubtedly benefit from more time together as a complete squad coming off an underwhelming season, during which the Reds finished trophyless and secured a Champions League spot by just three points.Dominik Szoboszlai, Milos Kerkez, Curtis Jones, Harvey Elliott, Joe Gomez, Jeremie Frimpong, Federico Chiesa, and Rio Ngumoha are all expected to be featured in the first group, with Giovanni Leoni and Jeremy Jacquet additionally slated to return from long-term injuries.