4 things spotted in Liverpool training as suprise face returns amid World Cup winner visit

Liverpool continued its preparations ahead of facing Manchester City in the Premier League this weekend, with a couple of surprise faces at the AXA Training Centre on Thursday

Liverpool players in training ahead of the Premier League clash with Manchester City(Image: Getty Images)

Liverpool’s players continued their preparations for this weekend’s huge game against Manchester City at the AXA Training Centre on Thursday.

It’s been a rare week off for Arne Slot’s men, who have been given a bit more time to recover following last weekend’s win over Newcastle, and get themselves ready for the visit of Pep Guardiola’s side.

Although the Reds can have little say in the Premier League title race now, they do have a lot of work to do in order to make sure they secure a spot in next season’s Champions League, given they currently trail Manchester United and Chelsea in sixth.

They aren’t helped by a growing injury list, especially in defense, with Slot no doubt keeping a close eye on his options as he put his squad through their paces on Thursday.

Here’s what we spotted from Liverpool’s latest training session…

World Cup winner's visit

Not strictly spotted from Thursday's training session, but World Cup winner Gilberto Silva was at the AXA for Slot's pre-match press conference (as per the Liverpool Echo).

It's not yet clear why the former Brazil and Arsenal midfielder was at the Reds' training ground, although he may have been there in his capacity as a pundit, having worked for the likes of ESPN since retiring from playing.

The reason may become clear at the weekend, although with Alexis Mac Allister having taken part in training, that made two World Cup winners in the building.

Gomez wait

As expected, there was no sign of Joe Gomez in training on Thursday, with the defender still recovering from the knock he picked up at Bournemouth.

Slot though has raised hopes that he could still play a part against City on Sunday though, with the Liverpool boss keeping his fingers crossed that Gomez will return to training in the coming days.

"Joe, we have a little bit of hope that he might train on Saturday," Slot said in his press conference.

"He won't be available to start but may be available to help the team if needed during the game, because there are not that many defenders available at the moment."

Surprise face returns

While Gomez, and the rest of Liverpool's many injured players, weren't in training on Thursday, there was something of a surprise return for one player.

Goalkeeper Harvey Davies was pictured back at the AXA after being recalled from his loan at League Two side Crawley in a move that went under the radar on deadline day.

Harvey Davies was back in training with Liverpool after being recalled from Crawley(Image: Getty Images)

Although Davies had been playing regularly in December and the start of January, he was displaced after Crawley signed Huddersfield's Jacob Chapman on loan, with Liverpool subsequently deciding to recall him.

There is still the option for Davies to head out on loan to a National League side, with there being no transfer windows as such in non-league, but as things stand, he will train alongside Alisson Becker and Giorgi Mamardashvili for the remainder of the season.

Defensive options

With doubts still lingering over Gomez, Liverpool will need someone to fill a gap in the defense against City on Sunday.

Ibrahima Konate was a welcome sight after making his return against Newcastle, and - touch wood - he will partner Virgil van Dijk at center-back again this weekend.

Cover will be needed at right-back though. Dominik Szoboszlai took on that job against the Magpies, and Slot will have to decide whether he'll take on that responsibility again, or if his energy will be needed back in midfield.

Calvin Ramsay comes up against Florian Wirtz during Liverpool training(Image: Getty Images)

If that is the case, there are other options to consider, with Ryan Gravenberch, Wataru Endo and Curtis Jones all present for training - not to forget Calvin Ramsay, even if Slot doesn't seem convinced.

The Scot though remains with the first-team, and he was seen up against Florian Wirtz during one particular drill. A start against City might be unlikely, but could he be handed his chance before the end of the season?