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Liverpool have landed in the United States ahead of their pre-season tour. The Reds will take on Sunderland in Nashville on Saturday, before games against Wrexham in New York and then Leeds United in Chicago. However, due to long-term injuries and the World Cup, new head coach Andoni Iraola has only been able to take a truncated squad with him to the states, one padded out by numerous youngsters.
However, as is always the case in football, absences present others with an opportunity. So, at Rush the Kop we have chosen which five fringe players are more likely to impress, before the more senior figures return later in the summer?
1. Giorgi Mamardashvili
Giorgi Mamardashvili was signed to be the heir to Alisson's throne, but a mixed first season on Merseyside has cast doubt over his capabilities.
During his time in La Liga with Valencia, the Georgian proved himself to be one of the best young goalkeepers around, also starring at Euro 2024, hence why Liverpool were prepared to pay £30 million to snap up his signature.
Arriving at Anfield a year after signing his Liverpool contract, Giorgi Mamardashvili's start to life on Merseyside has been anything but smooth. A return of just three clean sheets and 34 goals conceded across 20 appearances makes for grim reading.
Crucially, the Reds fell to defeat in 12 of those fixtures. While pinpointing the goalkeeper for that slump would be harsh, the sheer numbers have done little to generate trust among supporters or the dressing room.
Thus, at the start of pre-season, before Alisson returns from his holiday, the 25 year old will get the chance to impress the new head coach.
2. Jeremie Frimpong
The signing of Jeremie Frimpong personified the chaos and poor planning that led to Liverpool enduring a miserable campaign as defending champions. Brought in to replace former right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold, it was clear from the very start that they could hardly be any different, and Frimpong did not fit into this Liverpool team as would have been hoped.
Thriving as a right-wing-back at Bayer Leverkusen, former head coach Arne Slot decided pretty quickly that Frimpong could not be trusted in a back four, deploying Dominik Szoboszlai or Curtis Jones there instead.
So, how does Frimpong fit into an Iraola team? Well, the 25 year old will get all pre-season to prove his worth, having been surprisingly left out of Ronald Koeman's Netherlands squad for the World Cup.
With Conor Bradley still sidelined, Frimpong is poised to see plenty of minutes at right-back, or could he be pushed further forward, given the porosity of attacking options in this travelling squad? How Iraola chooses to use the Dutchman is certainly something worth monitoring.
3. Jérémy Jacquet
With Víctor Muñoz on holiday somewhere following Spain's World Cup triumph, there is just one new signing for Liverpool supporters to cast their eye over during this pre-season tour, albeit a very exciting one.
Despite strong interest from Chelsea, Jérémy Jacquet joined from Stade Rennais for £60 million in January, albeit has only just arrived at AXA Training Centre for the first time, after remaining at les Rouge et Noirs for the remainder of the campaign.
Still only 21 years old, the centre-back is very raw. To date, he has made only 37 Ligue 1 appearances for either Rennes or Clermont Foot, during a loan spell, the most-recent of which came in February due to a shoulder injury suffered at Stade Bollaert-Delelis against Lens.
Nevertheless, he is fully fit now and ready to impress Iraola. Having been given the number five shirt, many are interpreting this as a sign that he is going to be first-choice. So, unless something changes, Jacquet will be starting alongside Virgil van Dijk on the opening weekend of the Premier League season against Newcastle on 23 August, making it important that he looks rock-solid in pre-season.
4. Harvey Elliott
One player back in the picture at Liverpool is Harvey Elliott, so how important could he prove to be? Last summer, on deadline day, he was loaned out to Aston Villa, with an obligation for the Villans to buy, as soon as he made ten appearances.
At this point, his Liverpool career seemed over. However, quickly, Unai Emery decided he did not want to keep the Englishman permanently, hence why he made only nine appearances in Claret and Blue, thereby returning to Merseyside.
When asked if Elliott was in his plans, Iraola replied "definitely! Harvey is here with us... he will have a chance in pre-season, we will need him", a pretty emphatic response from the new manager. So, where will the 23 year old play?
Well, his versatility could be his greatest asset, able to be deployed either as part of a midfield trio or out-wide in attack. Thus, while the Reds continue their search for a Mohamed Salah replacement, it seems likely that Elliott will occupy that role in pre-season.
5. Rio Ngumoha
Last, but by no means least, the player Liverpool supporters are excited about seeing this season above any other might just be Rio Ngumoha. T
he teenager burst onto the scene last season with his last-gasp winner at St James' Park in August, becoming the youngest goal-scorer in the club's illustrious history. He also found the target when Fulham visited Anfield in April, starting five Premier League matches overall, a rare bright spot in an otherwise miserable 2025/26 campaign.
His form caught the eye of Thomas Tuchel too, thereby earning his senior international debut for England against New Zealand in a friendly in Tampa ahead of the World Cup. Also eligible to represent France, Nigeria and Guadeloupe, his future appears firmly to be with the Three Lions.
Still only 17, fans will need to be patient with Ngumoha, but he could still be a valuable member of Iraola's squad. That is especially the case in pre-season. Federico Chiesa, who is likely to leave the club this summer, is the only other senior attacker on tour, so expect to see plenty of Rio in the USA.
Today's best reads
- Andoni Iraola welcomes back 15 Liverpool first-teamers as 2026/27 Pre-Season officially begins
- Joe Gomez outlines why the Liverpool squad are "excited" to work with Andoni Iraola
- Why Jérémy Jacquet chose his new Liverpool shirt number
- Liverpool fans left convinced by Giovanni Leoni as huge predictions emerge
- Liverpool star explains how Andoni Iraola is about to change the Anfield dressing room
This article was originally published on rushthekop.com as 5 players who can use Liverpool's USA pre-season tour to their full advantage.
