Liverpool stars enjoy game of football on airport runway during Reds' United States tour

Liverpool stars indulged in an impromptu game of football on an airport runway after their flight encountered severe delays.

Adam Lallana, James Milner and Andrew Robertson were among the players photographed having a kick about at Charlotte Douglas International Airport as they sought to pass time.

The Reds were making their way to New Jersey on Tuesday as part of their International Cup campaign.

When news of the delay was announced, footballs were retrieved from the hold of the aircraft, with a number of first-teamers deciding to stretch their legs.

Lallana, Milner and Robertson were joined by Alberto Moreno, Lazar Markovic and youngster Marko Grujic on the tarmac.

They could be seeing passing the ball amongst themselves and doing keepy-uppies in photographs published on the official Liverpool site.

Versatile midfielder Milner joked on social media: 'Delayed flight means I got to play just in front of the second most expensive defence in the world.'

Some players decided to stay on the plane and listen to music, while striker Daniel Sturridge took over the club's Instagram Stories feed.

Liverpool finally touched down in New Jersey late on Tuesday evening, with the players set to train on Wednesday ahead of the game against Manchester City the following day.

They then face rivals Manchester United on Saturday in a hotly anticipated pre-season clash.

New signing Xherdan Shaqiri, meanwhile, arrived separately from the rest of the squad, teaming up with them for the first time following his post-World Cup holiday.

He was captured by LFCTV getting out of a car with his suitcase as he made his way in to the hotel and there were already a number of fans waiting for him.

Shaqiri stopped in the lobby to sign a few autographs and took a number of photos with fans before heading on up to his room.