Mohamed Salah and Wataru Endo will be available for Liverpool’s full pre-season schedule as they won’t be featuring at the Olympics. Egypt and Japan had discussed calling them up as one of the three permitted over-age players in each squad for the under-23s tournament. However, as the Olympics is not a FIFA-sanctioned competition, clubs do not have to release players and following talks the pair will now be staying put. Stefan Bajcetic had already been left out of the Spain squad with the young Liverpool midfielder needing an undisrupted pre-season to help him kick on after missing most of last season due to injury. Not losing anyone to the Olympics is a boost for new head coach Arne Slot as he seeks to put his stamp on the squad he inherited from Jurgen Klopp. It means that Salah and Endo are both expected to be part of the club’s pre-season tour of America later this month. Liverpool fly to Pittsburgh on July 23 and face Real Betis in their first friendly three days later. They begin the new Premier League campaign against newly-promoted Ipswich Town on Saturday, August 17.
