Liverpool's winners and losers from US tour as Trey Nyoni takes his chance
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Yet despite a defensively fragile second half in Illinois, the trip proved beneficial for the Reds, who resume training on Wednesday before Monaco's arrival at Anfield on Sunday.Here are Liverpool.com's winners and losers from the trip.WinnersTry Nyoni: While drawing conclusions purely from preseason fixtures carries inherent risks, Nyoni appears to have progressed significantly since last season under Arne Slot, when his entire campaign yielded merely 21 Premier League minutes. In reality, that was because former manager Slot believed he required his senior, experienced professionals to rescue the team from a predicament of their own creation, but Nyoni ought to be regarded as a first-team squad member now.He impressed across all three matches and particularly excelled against Leeds during a first-half appearance that captured the imagination of the Liverpool supporters at Chicago's Soldier Field.
His ball distribution from defense requires improvement, but he appears rapid, strong, and his ability in the air for someone his age is outstanding. However, following a challenging debut season, considerably more is anticipated from the 23-year-old, and this performance against Leeds, which ended with a goal, represented a significant boost for those who believe Wirtz is now primed to truly hit his stride.LosersCurtis Jones: A meltdown over the captain's armband in a preseason friendly, three underwhelming displays, and renewed interest from Inter; it's safe to say Curtis Jones has experienced more impressive fortnights as a Liverpool player.
As a versatile and long-standing squad member — Gomez is now working under his fourth manager at the club — the seasoned former England star might have hoped to stake his claim for the position he has long coveted: a starting berth at center-half for Liverpool.However, just eight minutes into the summer schedule, those ambitions were dealt a severe blow. However, three friendly matches into the summer schedule and the new defender has yet to feature for his new club, raising significant concerns about who will partner Virgil van Dijk when Newcastle visits on August 23.Jacquet was already facing an uphill battle, having been sidelined since a season-ending shoulder injury in February, and considering he only turns 21 this month, demanding immediate impact from such a youthful and relatively untested player appears unreasonable.