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Tributes in remembrance of Kevin Keegan will take place when Liverpool visit Newcastle United on Sunday.

Keegan, an icon of both clubs, passed away at the age of 75 last month and it has now been confirmed that he will be honoured at this weekend’s Premier League fixture at St. James’ Park.

Newcastle today released the following information to supporters regarding the plans in place to remember Keegan:

We are asking supporters to arrive early in order to be part of honouring Kevin’s life.

A video tribute will be played on stadium screens looking back at Kevin’s legendary playing and managerial career.

There will also be a stadium display by Wor Flags that includes home and visiting supporters.

On the pitch, a centre-circle mosaic will be laid after the players’ warm-ups that is made from shirts left at St. James’ Park by supporters in his memory.

A minute’s applause

Immediately before kick-off, the players will gather around the centre circle for a minute’s applause as we remember Kevin and celebrate his contributions to both clubs.

Both teams will warm up wearing shirts dedicated to Kevin, and the teams will wear black armbands during the match.

Players past and present honouring Kevin

Kevin’s family and a number of former players will be special guests of the club for the match, including members of Kevin’s famous ‘Entertainers’ side.

A short private ceremony will be held between both clubs and Kevin’s family before kick-off.

Van Dijk

The current Liverpool captain opted for an occasion before he wore the armband on a permanent basis.

"There's plenty but the one that stands out is Barcelona at home," he says.

In May 2019, Liverpool defied very, very long odds to overturn a three-goal deficit and reach the Champions League final.

The 4-0 win against Barça in the second leg of a semi-final is possibly Anfield's greatest European night, even without the context Van Dijk reminds us of.

The Dutchman continues: "I think from the away game in Barcelona up until the home game, it was just such a crazy experience.

"Because away we obviously lost 3-0 but we came in the dressing room after the game thinking, 'How did we lose here 3-0?'

"Obviously we lost but it didn't feel that way. We had opportunities and we felt like we can still turn this around.

"Then we went to Newcastle and Newcastle away is always difficult. We scored in the last minute through Divock [Origi] with a header but then obviously we had some injuries – big injuries – in terms of Mo [Salah] being out, Bobby [Firmino] being out if I'm correct. And then we have to turn the 3-0 defeat around here.

"The whole build-up, the ride to the stadium, it felt special, it felt really like something is going to happen.

"And the manager said it as well: he doesn't believe that any team can turn this around against Barcelona, but with us he believes.

"As the game goes, we score the 1-0 [and it's] 1-0 at half-time. Gini [Wijnaldum] comes on and the rest is history.

"After the game when we were standing there in front of the Kop, we knew that we were not going to lose this final."

Gerrard

While not settling on one moment outright, Gerrard also reflected fondly on the journey to lifting club football's biggest prize in 2005.

A comeback for the ages versus AC Milan secured European Cup No.5, but the ride Rafael Benitez's side enjoyed to Istanbul is a key component to the story.

Gerrard begins: "It's difficult to pick one. Everyone's heard Istanbul a million times, but if you go back the whole journey, there were games...

"Olympiacos we went 1-0 down here and we had to get three. Before that game finished, we scored three really quickly and I scored one here, 86 minutes, to get us through.

"Then you go to the Chelsea game in the semi-final, which was a similar atmosphere to the Barcelona [game] where the fans are in earlier, European night. Then you have the goal: was it over the line, was it not over the line?

"It's difficult for me to pick one game because of what happened on the journey."

Souness

Souness nonchalantly regales us with his memories of the three European Cup finals he won as a Liverpool player.

The Scot's final act in Red was captaining the team to glory in AS Roma's backyard in 1984, having raised Old Big Ears previously in 1978 and 1981.

"So many fond memories. I think I'm the same in maybe one night in Europe," Souness offers. "But the three finals I played in were poor games.

"The first one, [Club] Brugge at Wembley, we were the winners the previous year and they didn't want to give us a game, just sat in and tried to counter.

"The second one was in Paris against Real Madrid. It's very different football now they play in Spain to then. It was cynical. If you watch the first half an hour of that game, you could have done away with the ball.

"The last one, the way it turned out for Roma [in] playing at home in a final, no-one fancied us, but we really fancied ourselves. Then it went to penalties.

"None of them were great games of football."

Donald Trump has threatened to bomb Oman if it "gets in the way" of talks with Iran.

The president threatened to attack the US ally after Iran said it was in negotiations with the Gulf country to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

"If Oman gets in the way, we'll bomb the s--- out of them," Mr Trump told Fox News.

The 60-day memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran is set to expire on Monday.

Earlier this month, Tehran said it had agreed a shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz with Oman, which sits on the other side of the vital waterway.

Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola says his side "needed" a clean sheet in their 2-0 friendly win over Como but warned they "need training" time in the weeks to come.

Liverpool drew 0-0 with the Italian side in a behind-closed-doors friendly on Sunday and then won an encounter in front of fans at Anfield later in the day.

The shutouts followed friendlies where the Reds conceded three against Monaco and four against Leeds.

"I think we need a little bit this feeling of finishing with a clean sheet, winning the game," Iraola said after the 2-0 success.

"Still, the first half has been better than the second, but at least we kept our organisation, our composure and we found a way to finish with a clean sheet, 2-0. I think we needed this feeling before we start."

On the conditioning of his players, with a week to go until they face a trip to Newcastle in their Premier League opener, he added: "I think we are better than we were last week. Still, I hope next week we are better than we were today. It's normal but first halves are still better than second halves. But today a lot of players played 90 minutes, 80 minutes and they finished [with] no cramps, apparently nothing major. So, it's keep building these fitness levels, this also [mentality] even when you are not as fresh [to] keep the focus so you don't make the big mistakes. I think it's an improvement but still – especially second half – we need to be better.

"At the end, we need training, we need to train together. Some of the players that have started playing today, we need to build relationships, the players to have this option to solve problems by themselves in the pitch, analyse what we can improve – especially second half today. This needs time. So, I think we can use these two, three weeks – we have full weeks – so we are ready for the league."

Milos Kerkez says Liverpool’s squad cannot wait for the season to start with their focus now on a Premier League opener at Newcastle United.

The Reds completed their schedule of summer friendlies by beating Como 1907 2-0 on Sunday evening, with first-half goals by Cody Gakpo and debutant Jeremy Jacquet the difference at Anfield.

Andoni Iraola’s side are now looking ahead to a trip to St. James’ Park this coming weekend, the head coach’s first competitive match in charge of the club.

Following the victory over Como, Kerkez spoke to Liverpoolfc.com.

On Sunday’s match feeling like perfect preparation for the first game of the season…

We said we need to get the win, to get that positive mentality going into the next week. So, we did good, clean sheet, good for the defenders, and yeah, we’re happy. We have still some work to be more defensively set up, more help obviously from the wingers, but it’s going to come next week.

On how he feels personally heading into the new campaign…

Yeah, I feel ready. [This] is the first time I played 90 minutes [this summer], I felt a bit [my] legs at I would say 70-something [minutes], but it’s good to get the whole 90 minutes. I had a lot [of time] to recharge [after last season] but honestly I started to train after, I will say, two or three weeks. I missed training, so it’s good to be back [and] recharged.

On the importance of players getting the full 90 minutes…

For sure. A lot of guys needed 90, [we] need to be ready for Premier League intensity next week. You know how it is, especially at Newcastle away, so it was good that a lot of guys got 90 minutes, definitely.

On what has changed for him in terms of his role under Iraola when compared to last season…

You can see I have more freedom to fly up and down. I’m really running more, with more freedom, putting more balls into the box. So, the manager gave me confidence when I was in Bournemouth… [and] we all have to do what he tells us to do: play aggressive, front-foot, so we need to continue.

On what Iraola can deliver and the aim of achieving special things together...

Yeah, everyone hopes so. It’s a big difference, obviously we play really aggressive [and] we need to run a lot more. It is tough but if you want to compete at the top, you need to do that in the Champions League, in the Premier League. So, we are more ready, everyone can’t wait until the season starts next week.

On the squad feeling ready for the visit to St. James’ Park…

Yeah, I can remember last season how it was – [a] big difference for me when you play [for] Bournemouth at Newcastle and Liverpool at Newcastle. I can’t wait, really, [and] I think my teammates also can’t wait. It’s a brilliant atmosphere there… first game [and] we need to get the three points, definitely.

Influencers swimming with sharks to create content have bitten off more than they can chew.

A growing number of people chasing the perfect shot of a shark are being attacked and left with severe injuries after getting too close.

A rise in social media videos showing people swimming close to sharks, touching and even riding them, has left experts concerned.

At least three influencers have been bitten by the animals in less than a year, including a fishing influencer who almost lost his leg after being attacked by a reef shark while spearfishing in July.

In December, a Chinese content creator was bitten in the Maldives. Both incidents were caught on camera.

Researchers at the International Shark Attack File, which tracks human-shark interactions worldwide, have seen a rise in the past three years of people being bitten while trying to take footage with sharks.

A recent study of "swim with wildlife" expeditions found influencers and photographers were the most likely to ignore safety instructions.

Last year, a tourist in the Caribbean had both hands bitten off while trying to photograph a bull shark from the shallows, according to local authorities.

Two months later, a snorkeller in Israel carrying a "selfie stick" was killed by sharks.

The number of unprovoked shark attacks worldwide has remained broadly stable at about 70 bites per year for the past three decades.

Tayane Dalazen, a 37-year-old Brazilian lawyer and social media personality, was on a shark-diving trip on the Brazilian coast in April when she was bitten by a seven-foot-long nurse shark.

It clamped its jaw around her thigh, held her down for several seconds and then released her, allowing her to escape but leaving her with lacerations to her leg.

"I knew something was different because the sharks were on the surface. There were a lot of them," she told the BBC.

"Later, I discovered [the tour organisers] were feeding the sharks so that they would interact with the tourists," she said. "When the shark bit me, the pain was very strong. I stayed calm because I knew I couldn't fight the animal."

She posted footage of the shark bite online where it's since been viewed tens of millions of times, despite saying she "wasn't there for social media". She admitted she was too close to the animals.

Kristian Parton, a marine biologist and shark scientist, told the BBC: "I'm seeing these videos every single week now and it's way more than it ever used to be.

"We're going to see people ending up in really serious incidents with sharks. We're talking about a true apex predator, a very large wild animal.

"You wouldn't walk into the Serengeti and try and put your hand on the face of a lion.

"If you're approaching the shark and stressing it out, whether it be in a nursery habitat, a breeding ground, or a feeding area, you're depriving that shark of an area that's important to it to survive. And that's definitely a problem."

While Ms Dalazen was bitten by a nurse shark, a more docile species, some influencers have been filmed touching tiger sharks and even great whites.

An Oregon man who was shot several times after he broke into a business is now suing the company and its owner for $10 million.

Kenneth Voyles is accusing Touchstone Granite & Marble Inc and its owner, James Grant, of battery, assault, negligence, and intentional infliction of emotional distress, according the Multnomah County filing.

He is seeking $5 million in compensatory damages and an additional $5 million in punitive damages, according to KPTV.

On March 6, Voyles — who was experiencing homelessness at the time — claims he entered Touchstone through a damaged garage door with the intention of finding shelter.

When he later exited the building through the same damaged door, he did so riddled with bullets.

While he was inside the business, Voyles admits that he grabbed and intended to take a drill bag from the business.

Grant was working in a back room at the time and emerged to find Voyles trespassing inside the shop.

Voyles claims he apologized immediately and that Grant responded by throwing things at him, forcing him to flee for a door. He claims he grabbed a pair of bolt cutters along the way to defend himself. His escape was cut short by a locked door.

After Voyles grabbed the bolt cutters, Grant reportedly retrieved his gun and shot him multiple times without warning.

The lawsuit claims that Grant shot Voyles several times, told him "you're going to die," and then shot him again in the chest from point-blank range.

Voyles did not die, and tried to crawl out through the garage door. As he was crawling out he claims that Grant shot him again.

Grant disputed Voyles' version of events during an interview back in March. He claims that he found Voyles in his upstairs office and said he followed him to the back of his warehouse, where Voyles became aggressive.

"It went right through my brain that he was ready to attack me," the owner said in the interview. "He picked up the bolt cutter and raised it, and he was starting to come at me ... my life was totally in danger."

He said he gave Voyles multiple warnings to get onto the ground, but said the intruder refused to go down.

Grant is not the only one named in the lawsuit; Voyles is also suing his company. He justified including Touchstone in the filing by arguing that

Andoni Iraola believes his Liverpool squad are ‘moving in the right direction’ as the new season draws ever closer.

The Reds complete their programme of summer friendlies with a double-header against Como 1907 on Sunday, with the first of those games to be played behind closed doors and the second a 6pm BST kick-off at Anfield.

They are fixtures five and six respectively in charge for Iraola, with the Premier League opener away at Newcastle United now a little over a week away.

In his notes for Sunday’s matchday programme, the head coach writes: “This will be a very good, and very important, test for us as we finalise our preparations for the new Premier League season.

“Despite the result, last weekend’s game against Monaco brought plenty of positives and plenty of learnings for myself and my staff.

“The first half, and the first 30 minutes in particular, was very pleasing. It was good to see Alexander Isak getting on the scoresheet and looking sharp, and I saw a lot of good things both with and without the ball.

“The problem we had, as we had against Leeds in Chicago, was that we were not able to sustain our levels and that is something that can only happen with time, and with a lot of hard work on the training ground.

“I have spoken many times about the type of team I want to see on the pitch, about the intensity, the intent and the energy we are looking for, and while it is clear that there is still a lot of improvement to come, I believe that we are moving in the right direction and I expect that to continue in the coming days and weeks as the season gets under way.

“With Alexis Mac Allister having returned to the AXA Training Centre on Monday, we now have all of our players back after the World Cup, which is of course hugely beneficial.

“There is no doubt in my mind about the quality and the potential we have within our squad, and now it is up to us to show that on a consistent basis going forward.

“From a personal perspective, I would like to thank you all for the wonderful reception I received last weekend. It meant a lot, and hopefully we can give you lots to enjoy and to shout about, both on Sunday and beyond.”

Liverpool added Ronald Araujo to their squad on Monday, with the Uruguay defender joining on a season-long loan deal from FC Barcelona.

On his newest recruit, Iraola adds: “We have also been able to welcome a new signing to the club this week, with Ronald Araujo joining us on loan from Barcelona.

“We are, of course, very pleased to have added a player of such quality and experience, and I am sure he will settle in quickly and have a positive impact on our squad.”

Helping Liverpool to a famous league and cup double in 1986 came at a cost to Ian Rush.

The Reds had just snatched the First Division title back off Everton and would then meet their local rivals in an all-Merseyside FA Cup final.

Rush, as was his habit especially against the Blues, netted twice in the 3-1 come-from-behind victory at Wembley.

He equalised Gary Lineker's first-half opener before virtually putting the red ribbons on the trophy with a rifled finish into the bottom left corner for his side's third.

"It's always something special to me, this game," Rush reminisces. "The first time we won the Double, we beat Everton 3-1.

"And the third goal, I scored [and] knocked the camera over – that's very famous on TV for knocking the camera over.

"I went back to training a month later and I got a bill for the camera!"

Donald Trump said he would declare the Strait of Hormuz a "territory of the United States" despite having repeatedly failed to reopen it.

The US president on Friday said he would annex the waterway, before suggesting he already controlled it anyway.

Iranian officials accused Mr Trump of indulging in "fanciful delusions".

During a speech in New York, Mr Trump said: "After we finish defeating Iran, which is being very badly defeated, pretty soon I'll be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States.

"Essentially, that's what it is. We have the blockade. No ships get through unless we want them to."

However, the president also nodded to the economic upheaval unleashed after Iran effectively choked off the strait following the US and Israeli bombing on Feb 28.

Americans would have to pay "a tiny little bit more for your gasoline" as the cost of ensuring a "very evil country" could not develop a nuclear weapon, he said.

Traffic through the strait has slowed to a trickle since the start of the war, and Mr Trump's attempts to reopen it with military forces, economic pressure and diplomacy have failed.

Just nine commercial vessels headed through the waterway on Thursday, according to data firm Kpler, which tracks shipping, compared to pre-war averages of 130 to 140 ships a day.

Securing the strait, which is bordered by Iran and Oman, would almost certainly require boots on the ground, something the president has so far been unwilling to contemplate.

Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran's deputy foreign minister, said Tehran would not be intimidated by the president's rhetoric.

"The Strait of Hormuz cannot be seized by tweet, nor by aircraft carrier, nor by issuing an order, nor by an election speech. Iran neither fears threats nor cowers before displays of power," he said.

Directly addressing the president, he said: "Once and for all, accept the reality: up to this point, you have suffered strategic and heavy defeats; the Strait of Hormuz has been Iranian, is Iranian and will remain Iranian."

Iran's foreign minister said on Saturday morning that the regime had not decided whether it would resume peace talks and denied that it was negotiating with the US.

Former Liverpool attacker Mohamed Salah has completed a move to Trabzonspor.

The next chapter of the Egyptian's career will be spent in Turkiye after finalising the switch on Thursday.

Salah's iconic nine-year stay at Anfield came to an end earlier this summer, and he departed as Liverpool's third-highest scorer of all time with 257 goals in 442 appearances.

The 34-year-old lifted eight major honours – including two Premier League titles, the Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup – during his time as a Red.

President Donald Trump, who famously got out of the draft five times, shared an fake image depicting himself as a top military general — decked out in service ribbons and some of the nation's highest military honors.

The rendering pictured Trump, 80, alongside generals George S. Patton and Douglas MacArthur, two of the country's most famous combat commanders and figures of World War II, in front of a fiery battleground.

The president's fantastical pipe dream places him above Patton and MacArthur in military ranking, showing him with four stars while the real war heroes only have two. In actuality, Patton was a four-star general while MacArthur was one of only five Americans to reach the ranking of five-star general.

The image, which Trump shared on Truth Social Tuesday, also appeared to show him wearing what appears to be a Medal of Honor — the highest U.S. military decoration, awarded by the president to recipients.

Trump's delusion also showed him donning about a dozen military service ribbons — or small fabric displays recognizing major accomplishments from a service member's career.

While the president may crave the battlefield honor, it is without merit. While he attended the New York Military Academy as a teen in the early 1960s, Trump never served in the armed forces or held an official military rank.

Most men of his generation weren't as lucky. The U.S. was involved militarily in Vietnam from about 1954 to 1975. Over 58,000 American service members were killed in the armed conflict.

Trump famously avoided the draft for the Vietnam War five times in the 1960s. He received four deferrals while attending college at Fordham University and while in business school at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School.

He received a fifth deferral following a disputed diagnosis of bone spurs in his heels.

The daughters of the podiatrist who gave the diagnosis claimed he did so as a favor to Trump's father, Fred Trump, who owned the building in Queens where the doctor practiced.

President Donald Trump's supporters and aides are calling for the ouster of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin — with a senior White House official saying there's a consensus he "sucks donkey butt," according to a report Monday.

Mullin drew the ire of MAGA influencers over a Saturday discussion in which he supported migrant work visas to address labor shortages in the U.S., according to Politico.

Right-wing podcaster Jake Posobiec told Politico that Mullin's remarks at the summer meeting of the National Governors Association fed a "growing wave among MAGA to find a DHS secretary who puts deportations first."

A senior White House official also sarcastically said that Mullin "deserves credit" for uniting the Trump "administration around a cohesive point of view."

"Everyone agrees he sucks donkey butt," the official said.

In a statement to The Independent, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said: "The President has confidence in Secretary Mullin and his entire Administration to carry out the agenda the American people voted for."

A DHS spokesperson also told The Independent: "Secretary Mullin has been clear: if you come to the United States illegally, you will be detained and deported."

"Anyone who says otherwise is just trying to sow division and create an illusion of chaos," the spokesperson added.

The controversy came just days after Mullin reportedly was behind "growing tensions" in the White House after unilaterally ordering ICE to cease making traffic stops following the fatal shootings of Mexican national Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston, Texas, and Colombian national Johan Sebastián Durán in Biddeford, Maine.

Trump later contradicted Mullin, formerly a Republican senator from Oklahoma, saying on social media that "we CANNOT give up one of I.C.E.'s most important and effective Crime Fighting tools, THE TRAFFIC STOP!"

How long did it take you to get used to it? Are there anything particular things to be very careful about?

President Donald Trump 's attempt to describe the prowess of American air defense weapons left him making childish video game-like sounds as he recounted how U.S. anti-aircraft interceptors successfully downed a quintet of Iranian ballistic missiles over the weekend.

Speaking at a cabinet meeting on Friday, the president was answering a question on whether he'd permit Ukraine to manufacture Patriot missile interceptors under a license when he digressed into the onomatopoetic tangent.

"The other day you read that five missiles were shot. They were going 8,600 miles per hour ... and they were big missiles, and they were shot at Jordan, and our guys were there — bing, bing, bing, bing, bing. Five missiles, and we shot all before they got close," he said.

He added that "nobody else" has that sort of anti-ballistic missile defense capacity and called the Patriot system "incredible" while suggesting that he was not inclined to grant Kyiv's request for a license because "we have to be very careful about letting somebody build them."

"You have to be very judicious, but you have to be very careful. Now, we have not agreed to that. We're talking about it, but it's a hard thing to give away that kind of technology, and I don't think this would ever happen," he said.

The president then suggested that Kyiv could turn around and use the American-made technology against the U.S. in the future, noting that such changes of alliance have "happened a couple of times over the years."

His ambivalence about a licensing arrangement appeared to walk back his position from several weeks ago, when he had appeared to endorse the idea.

Trump's consideration of allowing Ukraine to manufacture American-made weapons comes as the president appears to have made a U-turn in his once-frosty relationship with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.

Though he infamously tossed the Ukrainian leader out of the White House after a contentious Oval Office meeting last February, Trump appears to have changed his opinion of the former television star as Ukraine's armed forces have begun succeeding in making audacious strikes on Russian territory with home-grown drone equipment that American defense officials now want to evaluate for U.S. use.

Zelensky, who met with Trump at the White House on Tuesday before they both attended late South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham's funeral, said in a post on X that he'd had a "good meeting" with the American president at which they'd discussed the Patriot licensing matter and "several other ideas that could help."

Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola has been speaking to media in Chicago in his latest media conference during the Reds' pre-season tour of the USA.

A 4-2 win over Sunderland in Nashville last week was followed by a 1-0 victory over Wrexham in New York in the early hours of Thursday.

Liverpool face Leeds United in Chicago on Sunday (21:00 BST kick-off) before concluding their pre-season back on Merseyside.

Here are the key lines from the Reds head coach:

Iraola clarified where he sees Floran Wirtz's best position: "We know what he can give us. I think he's also suited to our game model. I see him more probably in that position behind the striker. We know that he has played with Germany more on the left sometimes, but I think we're going to start working with him in that position behind the striker. He's quite complete as a player."

He was asked about Rio Ngumoha playing on the right side against Wrexham and his thinking behind it: "I normally used to try to encourage our wingers to have the ability to play both sides. I know some of them are more comfortable on one side, but our team is not normally symmetrical. Also, in pre-season, I have to see where they are more comfortable, but in my previous clubs most of the wingers have played both sides."

Asked whether any incoming wingers - with Liverpool preparing to make an offer for Paris St-Germain and France forward Bradley Barcola - would need to play on both wings, Iraola said: "Yes, it's a great skill to have because at the end you become less predictable. It becomes better for you to have more minutes - and also better for us because we can better use the squad."

On how important will Alexander Isak will be this season: "He has come in a good place. I think he was good in the World Cup - I saw him comfortable. First training is here and I think I've seen a good version of Alex. His pre-season is not going to be very long, but he will have three or four weeks of quality training, I hope, and then we can put him in a good place because he's going to be massive for us this season."

On whether the World Cup will delay supporters being able to see the team Iraola wants: "Probably, but not because I am going to meet the players late, or we are going to sign the players later. Even having my team ready for pre-season when there is a change of manager, these things take some time. I would like to say on the first day we are going to be perfect, that we're going to be in place, but probably it's not going to be like this. We will have to do the adaptation as quickly as possible."

On the pre-season tour: "I was really happy when I found out we were coming again to Chicago. I was here last pre-season with Bournemouth. I understand now the repercussion of Liverpool is not the same as when I came last season, but still it's been really nice. I hope we can finish it in a proper way also against Leeds. I think we can finish these two weeks properly."

A switch to a different position was a challenge Luke Chambers took in his stride for Liverpool in New York.

Normally a left-back, the 22-year-old was fielded in central defence by Andoni Iraola for the Reds’ pre-season clash with Wrexham at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday.

Featuring for 75 minutes, Chambers contributed to a clean sheet and ultimately a win secured by Rio Ngumoha’s deflected hit in the second half.

“[It felt] really good,” Chambers told Liverpoolfc.com post-match.

“Obviously, much appreciated to the gaffer having the trust to put me in at left centre-back. It’s not my main position, but obviously when I get older and my career goes on, hopefully I can link more positions to my game.

“Playing centre-back is quite tough, especially against opposition that are a good Championship side. The strikers know what they’re doing so it’s about learning the little dark arts about the game.

“I thought I did well.”

Chambers continued: “[Iraola] just said to play my game.

“He’s seen me in training, he knows what I’m like at left-back. I can read the game really well so I kind of take that into playing centre-back.

“So, just do what I normally do at left-back but just move it in a little bit.”

On Liverpool’s books since the age of six, Chambers has made four senior competitive appearances for the club to date – all of which came in 2023-24.

He added to his experience with a productive loan spell in the second tier with Charlton Athletic during the second half of the last season, playing 18 times.

And the England youth international hopes to keep building upon those foundations.

“I got my first taste of Championship minutes last year, so a base for tests like this and to show that I’m at this level and hopefully I can push on past that level,” he said.

“It’s just about showing myself and showcasing what I can do in my skillset. Last year was really good for me.”

With Liverpool stating that they have more than 26 million supporters in the USA, there is little surprise over why the Reds chose America as the destination for their pre-season tour.

This has been quite the summer for football here and Billy Hogan, CEO of Liverpool and Fenway Sports Group (FSG), insists the aim is to build on that after what has been a "super difficult year" for the club "for lots of different reasons."

Hogan is speaking to BBC Sport in New York ahead of Andoni Iraola's side taking on Wrexham at the famous Yankee Stadium on Wednesday evening at 19:30 local time, 00:30 BST.

However, for all the excitement around a new era on the pitch, it is events off the pitch that must be addressed first.

Last week, FSG, which owns Liverpool, confirmed that a consortium led by Amit Bhatia, a British-Indian millionaire businessman, was in talks over a strategic minority investment in the club. Those talks have been ongoing and there is a growing belief that a deal will be done.

"Look, John Henry (the principal owner) and FSG have always said that if there was an interest in an investment that would help the football club, then they would consider it. That was said many years ago and that remains the case here," Hogan tells BBC Sport.