Mohamed Salah achieved the highest score in Arne Slot’s fitness test to prepare for the new 2024/25 season with Liverpool.
The Dutch coach welcomed a number of players back after the break, and has since begun building his own squad, after he arrived at Anfield earlier this month.
Under coach Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool players and fans who are close enough to the club’s social media channels will be no strangers to the Lactate Test at the beginning of each season. This is an aerobic test that measures lactic levels as a player runs increasing distances. Under Slot, that test was replaced by the 6-Minute Run Test, a similar high-intensity workout in which participants must complete 400 meters within 6 minutes.
Under Klopp, midfielder James Milner (who moved to Brighton) is the unrivaled physical king. However, after Milner’s departure and with Slot’s new assignment, Salah has confirmed that he is the number one.
Fitness coach Conall Murtagh praised the Egyptian striker’s performance as “phenomenal”. Salah completed training with midfielder Wataru Endo after returning to training last week. The 32-year-old is one of three key players, along with captain Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold, who have yet to agree to extend their contract, which expires next summer.
Slot is continuing to welcome first-team players back to the AXA Training Center as stars eliminated from the EURO in the group stage return to Merseyside this week. They include Andy Robertson, Dominik Szoboszlai and young goalkeeper Vitezslav Jaros. Currently, Slot still lacks 11 key players. The 45-year-old strategist will only have about 10 days to work with the full strongest squad before the Premier League opening match against Ipswich on August 17.
Before that, the team flies to the US to participate in a pre-season tour, where they will meet Arsenal, MU and Real Betis. A host of key players, who have endured lengthy EURO and Copa America campaigns, are expected to be absent.
