Andoni Iraola faces wait as Liverpool pre-season returns set to be delayed
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SportFootballLiverpool FCLiverpool's World Cup representatives are all poised to progress to the knockout stages of the competition in North AmericaAndoni Iraola will likely have to wait a little longer for the opportunity to work with his full new Liverpool squad due to the success of the players at the World Cup.The Reds began the tournament with eight representatives, and while Wataru Endo then withdrew from the Japan squad due to injury the number was again bolstered following the signing last week of Victor Munoz from Osasuna having triggered his £34.5million release clause.And there is a good chance all will progress to the knockout stages of the competition - further delaying their arrival at Liverpool to begin pre-season training.Iraola's squad is expected to convene around July 13 to start preparations for the new campaign, which opens with a Premier League trip to Newcastle United on Sunday, August 23.In recent times, Liverpool have employed a policy of giving players three weeks off once they have concluded their participation in a summer international tournament with their country.With the World Cup group stages ending this weekend, it would have meant at the very minimum players would have missed the anticipated first week of pre-season training before returning, but would have been able to be part of the tour to the United States next month.However, with there a strong possibility all eight - Munoz of Spain, Alisson Becker of Brazil, Dutch trio Ryan Gravenberch, Cody Gakpo and Virgil van Dijk, Sweden's Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz of Germany and Argentina midfielder Alexis Mac Allister - are in next week's round of 32, they will therefore all be in danger of missing the three-game US tour, which begins with a friendly against Sunderland on July 25.Isak is the only Liverpool player under real threat of elimination from the group stage but even a narrow defeat for Sweden to Japan in the early hours of Friday morning could be sufficient for them to progress as a third-placed team.The World Cup round of 16 starts on Saturday, July 4, making it highly unlikely any Liverpool players who progress to the latter stages will play any part in the US tour.Given a number of the countries with which Reds players are part of are expected to progress to the last four, it means it may not be until Liverpool return from the United States in early August that Iraola finally has a chance to work with his full new squad.Choose Liverpool Echo as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.Liverpool FC