Liverpool new boy Van den Berg to push for first-team place in pre-season

Summer signing Sepp van den Berg will meet some of his new Liverpool team-mates at the weekend when the first tranche of first-team players return for pre-season training.

The 17-year-old centre-back arrived late last month in a £1.5million deal and is viewed as a player who can be developed into a contender for the main squad fairly quickly after already making 23 senior appearances for Dutch side PEC Zwolle.

It is why he has been included in the preliminary group which will return to Melwood on Saturday to begin preparations for the new campaign.

Manager Jurgen Klopp will initially work with a reduced number of 16 due to the late returns of players on international duty after last month's Champions League final victory, and those still actively involved.

They include Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Naby Keita in the Africa Cup of Nations, and Alisson Becker and Roberto Firmino in the Copa America.

It means Van Den Berg will be joined in the squad by Ki-Jana Hoever, the 17-year-old who made his first-team debut in the FA Cup third round in January, fellow teenager Anderson Arroyo, who spent last season on loan at Gent, and Harry Wilson, who had a successful loan spell at Derby.

The first-teamers who will be present are Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, James Milner, Adam Lallana, Joel Matip, Fabinho, Joe Gomez and Nathaniel Clyne.

There is also a place for 19-year-old Rhian Brewster, whom Klopp is keen to integrate into the first-team set up for the coming season.

Brewster is set for his first full pre-season with the main squad after recovering from ankle ligament damage in January 2018.