Pre-seasonLFC tour diary: Uno battle, two captains and a king, Endo serenaded as we reach Hong Kong
Off we go…
Our 6,000-mile journey begins with a step onto a bus at the club’s Chapel Street offices on Sunday afternoon, bound for Manchester Airport.
Rain spatters the windows en route to the terminal amid chat that even more inclement conditions might be awaiting us in Hong Kong. There’s reports of a typhoon in the area and a signal warning of 10 no less, the strongest kind. Still, nothing can dampen - get it?! [sorry] - our spirits as we eagerly look forward to the trip.
The sight of a gaggle of club employees in LFC kit making their way to the gate draws more than a few glances from fellow travellers, and a couple of questions too. “Are you Liverpool reserves?” “Do you work with Mo Salah?”
Uno is a frequent pastime among the Reds players on their travels, and today Jeremie Frimpong and Ryan Gravenberch are duelling with the cards. Dominik Szoboszlai is the referee as Milos Kerkez and Florian Wirtz watch on, with Frimpong ultimately defeating his compatriot.
Soon enough we’re boarding the charter plane supplied by Japan Airlines, the official airline partner of the Reds’ 2025 tour. Arne Slot and his 29-man squad gather for a group photo on the steps, and inside the cabin captain meets captain - Virgil van Dijk and the man at the helm of the near-13-hour flight ahead of us share greetings.
Liverpool’s skipper is certainly getting the handshakes in; he grabs one with royalty, too - namely The King, Sir Kenny Dalglish, who is part of the group of legends travelling with the club this year.
“Congratulations on winning the Premier League,” says the cabin crew. “It’s a great honour to serve such a wonderful team.” Lovely.
The pilot adds his own special message to the team for winning the top flight last term, while also paying respects to Diogo Jota.
And there’s an amusing flourish with the singing of Wataru Endo’s name. The No.3 is, of course, returning to his homeland Japan as part of this tour. A pretty good “Wataaaaruuu Endo!” it was too.
For me, a quick flick through the movies offered on the in-flight entertainment reveals plenty of good viewing for the journey. Can I watch The Dark Knight for the 78th time? Yes. Yes, I absolutely can.
Hello, Hong Kong
Touchdown! It’s 3.45pm local time when wheels touch tarmac and Liverpool officially land in Hong Kong. It is indeed a rainy picture outside, but humid too; the temperature is a shade shy of 30 degrees.
A throng of local Reds fans have gathered inside Hong Kong International Airport for a first glimpse of the Premier League champions and cheers to welcome them. It’s eight years since the club was last here, back when a certain Mohamed Salah was undertaking his maiden pre-season.
Given it is now heading towards late afternoon on Monday, it is a relatively light schedule for the team. A stretching session inside the hotel and a group walk around their new surroundings nearby is the gentle opening for Slot’s charges as they settle in.
Training routines will begin in earnest on Tuesday as overarching build-up for the new campaign, and short-term preparations for Saturday’s clash with AC Milan, step up.
Media-wise, we catch up with Liverpool chief executive officer Billy Hogan to hear of his anticipation for the club’s time in Asia. “We love coming here,” he says.
“Pre-season is always most important to focus on the football. But when we can find opportunities to bring all the different aspects of the club together along with the football, that’s a really important part of why we come on tour.”
And with this writer’s eyes beginning to droop as night steadily falls over the Hong Kong skyline, that brings us to an end of our first diary entry from Asia.
Food and hopefully some decent sleep are needed ahead of day two.
See you again soon…