Two Liverpool players to be axed by Arne Slot after being demoted during pre-season training

Two Liverpool players are set to be axed by Arne Slot after being demoted during the club's pre-season.

Liverpool began their pre-season with a shock defeat to Championship side Preston North End in a behind-closed-doors friendly last week.

And the Reds resume their pre-season with a tour of the United States as Slot's side face Real Betis, Arsenal and Manchester United.

The senior squad will travel to America, with two players left behind with the under-21s, suggesting a move away from Anfield is on the cards.

That's according to The Athletic, who claim centre-backs Rhys Williams and Billy Koumetio are expected to leave the club this summer.

The duo have found themselves training with the under-21s rather than Slot's senior squad during pre-season.

Williams. 23, is attracting interest from Turkey while several League One clubs are also keeping tabs on his situation.

He played 19 games across all competitions in the 2020/21 season as Liverpool were hit with an injury crisis.

Koumetio, meanwhile, has played just two games for the club and is reportedly wanted by clubs from Scotland and France.

The Dutch boss has Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Jarrell Quansah, Sepp van der Berg, Nathaniel Phillips and Amara Nallo to call upon at centre-back as the futures of Williams and Koumetio seem to lie away from Merseyside.

Rhys Williams during a Liverpool training session. Image: Getty

Slot is now two weeks into his first pre-season with Liverpool after replacing Jurgen Klopp.

And he believes competing against high-class opposition and completing more training sessions will benefit his team's preparations ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.

"I assume this, but the resistance of the teams we play is strong," he said.

"We are trying to implement the ideas and keep doing what we have done so well. Keeping the boys fit, that’s the first aim.

"Those things are the first aim and then with all the players coming back I think the quality will definitely go up a lot as well and these two things – training sessions and boys coming back in - will help us to play even better than we did [on Friday]."