Liverpool Players Resume Training After Diogo Jota’s Death

Liverpool players have resumed pre-season training following the death of team-mate Diogo Jota.

The first set of players were scheduled to come back from their summer break last Friday but that was postponed after Jota, 28, and his 25-year-old brother Andre Silva died in a car accident.

Jota was on his way back to Liverpool for pre-season, and, as doctors had advised him against flying due to a recent minor surgery, he was making the trip by car and ferry.

Manager Arne Slot and a number of the Liverpool squad, led by captain Virgil van Dijk, attended Jota’s funeral in his hometown of Gondomar, near Porto, on Saturday.

Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson, Conor Bradley, and Wataru Endo were among the players pictured arriving at the training ground.

Salah said in his tribute to the Portuguese international that he was frightened to go back to Liverpool to face the reality of Jota’s passing.

“Teammates come and go but not like this. It’s going to be extremely difficult to accept that Diogo won’t be there when we go back,” Salah posted on Instagram.

A site of remembrance has been set up at the club’s iconic Anfield stadium, where hundreds of bouquets, shirts, scarves, and pictures have been left by fans and former players in recent days.

Liverpool’s first pre-season friendly is scheduled for Sunday away at Championship side Preston.

But ticket sales for that match have been suspended pending a final decision on whether the match will go ahead.

Liverpool are then due to go on an Asian tour, playing AC Milan in Hong Kong and Japanese side Yokohama Marinos before the end of the month.