View: Liverpool youth stars Clark and Danns miss opportunity with final pre-season squad
Liverpool manager Arne Slot has announced his 28-man squad for the pre-season tour of the USA, with Bobby Clark and Jayden Danns not included.
The Reds announced the squad on their official website (23 July) and will face Real Betis for their first match at the Acrisure Stadium, Pittsburgh (26 July).
Slot has included 17 academy players and returning loanees to his squad including Harvey Blair, Ben Doak, Lewis Koumas, Trey Nyoni, Sepp van den Berg, Tyler Morton, and Fabio Carvalho.
Clark has remained at the AXA Training Centre to continue his rehabilitation and Danns will also stay in England as he suffered an injury in the behind-closed-doors defeat to Preston North End on Friday (19 July).
Clark and Danns miss out on an important Liverpool opportunity
Slot named a youthful pre-season squad for the Reds USA tour with 11 senior players missing due to Copa America and Euro 2024 commitments.
Mohammed Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai, Andy Robertson, Wataru Endo, Curtis Jones, Harvey Elliott, and Kostas Tsimikas are the only first-team regulars to travel to Pittsburgh.
Clark and Danns were the beneficiaries of the injury crisis that plagued Liverpool last term and accumulated 19 first team appearances throughout the season.
Both players featured in the Carabao Cup final against Chelsea and produced excellent performances when given the opportunity.
Danns scored a brace against Southampton in the FA Cup in February, and Clark scored a goal and assisted another in the 6-1 victory against Sparta Prague in the Europa League in March.
Their injuries are a minor setback as the youth duo miss out on an opportunity to impress Slot, who has expressed his commitment to providing the youth with a clear path to the first team (The Athletic, 24 July).
Liverpool are yet to make a signing this summer but that will expectedly change in the coming weeks as we approach August and the start of the new season.
The introduction of the new Champions League format will add more fixtures to an already congested schedule and Slot will need to rely on the depth of the squad to compete on all fronts this season.
Clark and Danns have proven they are ready for first team opportunities, but Slot must decide to involve them in his side or send them out on loan for the 2024/25 campaign.
In other Liverpool news, the Reds are reportedly in the final stages of a deal for Takefusa Kubo.
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