German midfielder Emre Can will return to Liverpool this weekend, having been given an extended break to give additional time to recover from representing his country at this summer’s Confederations Cup in Russia.
He returns as a winner of the international tournament, a prelude to next summer’s World Cup, with Germany having beaten Chile in the final.
Can played the full match against Cameroon and Chile in the group stages of the competition, but had to settle for substitute appearances in the first group match against Australia and the semi-final and final against Mexico and Chile respectively.
The midfielder will be back at the club's Melwood training ground for tests on Saturday, the same day that Liverpool face Leicester City in the Premier League Asia Cup final in Hong Kong, and will train fully the following day.
By Monday, the rest of the squad will have returned to Merseyside, as Jurgen Klopp's men gear up for the next stage of their pre-season, when they travel to Germany to play Hertha Berlin, before the Audi Cup in Munich begins at the beginning of August.
With the new season only three weeks off, preparations are well underway, and Can will be playing catch-up, just as he was last summer when he returned late after the European Championships.
New deal imminent?
Can returns as a popular player among supporters, having performed well towards the end of last season.
Memorable moments included his spectacular goal against Watford which won the game 1-0 and helped Liverpool to finish in the Champions League places, but there is still some uncertainty over his future.
With less than 12 months remaining on his contract, and with some interest from the likes of Italian giants Juventus, Liverpool must convince him to renew terms or potentially sell him to avoid losing him for nothing next summer.
There were some reports earlier in the week that a new contract had been agreed and signed, but they were premature. Klopp remains keen to retain the player, seeing him as an important member of the squad, but as yet nothing has changed.
The likelihood is that more discussions will take place once Can has returned to training and settled back into a normal routine following his holidays, as is often the case.
With Klopp keen for him to sign, and no suggestion from Can that he feels his future lies elsewhere, a new contract is not likely to be far away.