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Patel is said to have used a government jet to travel to Europe on Thursday, with Team USA chasing a second hockey gold medal after the women's team secured a dramatic overtime win over Canada.

Mohamed Salah has long been known as the hardest worker in the Liverpool dressing room.

Even as he moves into his mid-thirties, he’s still in remarkable shape. His commitment to staying fit hasn’t wavered, and his discipline is second to none.

Conor Bradley recently mentioned that Salah is still the first to arrive at the AXA Training Centre each morning, something that hasn’t changed over the years.

Over his eight seasons with Liverpool, similar stories have surfaced repeatedly. The only player who ever came close to matching his gym habits was Sadio Mane.

This season though, Dominik Szoboszlai has stepped up into a bigger role for Liverpool. Alongside Milos Kerkez, he’s started giving Salah some real competition over who gets in first each day.

Szoboszlai and Kerkez seen getting in early for training

There’s a growing sense that this might be the season when Salah’s influence at Liverpool starts to fade.

But that’s part of football, and there’s always someone ready to step up. This time, it looks like Szoboszlai is filling that role.

It helps that the two are close. According to The Times, some of Salah’s habits are starting to rub off on the younger player.

The report says that Szoboszlai, Salah, and Kerkez are now often among the first three players at training each day.

They’re also said to spend a lot of time together off the pitch as well, regularly seen at the training ground’s coffee bar or having meals at each other’s homes.

Kerkez’s hard work is paying off

Szoboszlai has been noted for his physical presence since he joined Liverpool, though there were early suggestions that he was hesitant to fully commit to the gym routines. Now, it seems he’s taken those demands seriously, and the results are starting to show.

The same can be said for Kerkez. He’s been throwing himself into training as he looks to settle in at Anfield.

He’s a determined player and clearly wants to establish himself after a tough beginning to life at Liverpool.

With two strong examples in Szoboszlai and Salah, Kerkez has a solid path to follow. And while Salah’s influence on the pitch may be fading, his presence in training is still being felt — even if others are starting to step up alongside him.

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Liverpool Eye Lucas Bergvall as Midfield Blueprint Echoes Dominik Szoboszlai

Liverpool have always believed in patterns. Not patterns in spreadsheets alone, but patterns in people. Find a type, trust the instinct, and hope lightning behaves like lightning. That is why talk of Lucas Bergvall as Liverpool’s latest midfield interest makes sense in the corridors of Anfield, even if it sounds fanciful in the pubs outside it.

According to Team Talk, Liverpool are considering a move for Tottenham midfielder Lucas Bergvall, a 20-year-old Swedish international once tracked during his breakthrough at Djurgardens. The idea, as framed in that report, is simple: find the next Dominik Szoboszlai before everyone else does.

Szoboszlai has been Liverpool’s shape-shifter this season. “Whether it’s as a right-winger, right-back or as a central midfielder in any role, Szoboszlai is able to stand-out,” the article notes, praising his ability to influence matches from almost anywhere on the pitch. In modern football, versatility is not a luxury. It is survival.

Photo: IMAGO

Bergvall Profile Mirrors Szoboszlai Traits

Bergvall’s appeal lies in that same restless adaptability. He has played wide, deep, advanced, even almost as a wing-back at times for Tottenham. A technician with a stride, comfortable receiving under pressure, willing to run beyond the ball. At 20, with more than 70 appearances already behind him, he carries experience that belies his age.

Liverpool’s recruitment model has long leaned towards players who can grow into roles rather than merely fill them. Think of how Szoboszlai arrived as an attacking midfielder and became an all-purpose engine under Arne Slot, Liverpool’s current manager since June 2024. Think of Alexis Mac Allister shifting from No.10 to No.6 when circumstances demanded. Liverpool buy possibility.

So Bergvall fits. Not perfectly, because nobody fits perfectly. But enough.

Liverpool Recruitment Strategy Under Arne Slot

Arne Slot’s Liverpool have moved from Klopp’s thunderbolt football towards something more measured. A 2-3-5 shape in possession, midfield lines staggered rather than stacked, pressing that hunts intelligently rather than relentlessly. In that structure, adaptable midfielders are gold dust.

Liverpool need depth. They need players who can rotate through positions without the team losing shape or soul. Szoboszlai has been extraordinary in that respect, a Hungarian footballer who seems to understand geometry as well as passion.

Liverpool know they cannot clone him. But they can try to find cousins.

Bergvall, as described in TEAMtalk’s report, is viewed internally as “very similar to Szoboszlai at the same age,” a midfielder who has played across roles and who still has room to grow. That matters, because Liverpool’s strategy is about longevity as much as immediacy.

Tottenham Obstacle Could Define Deal

Tottenham will not let Bergvall go easily. They rarely do. And why would they? A young midfielder with promise, international pedigree, and resale value is the currency of modern football.

Yet football is about opportunity as much as loyalty. Tottenham’s own season has been uneven, their direction uncertain under interim manager Igor Tudor, and Liverpool’s pitch is compelling: European nights, tactical clarity, a midfield culture where young players become important quickly.

Liverpool would have to pay, of course. But they have paid before when convinced of the right profile. Szoboszlai cost real money and delivered real performances. Bergvall would be an investment in possibility.

Szoboszlai Influence on Liverpool Future

Szoboszlai has shown Liverpool something important. He has shown them that adaptability is an advantage. He has shown them that a midfielder who can play anywhere can become indispensable everywhere.

“He’s simply brilliant,” the piece concluded of Szoboszlai. Hyperbole perhaps, but not absurd. Liverpool’s best teams have always had players who could bend roles without breaking structure. Steven Gerrard did it. James Milner did it. Szoboszlai does it now.

Liverpool want another.

Whether Bergvall becomes that player is uncertain. Young midfielders often promise more than they deliver. But Liverpool are not chasing a name here. They are chasing an idea. And in football, ideas are what build dynasties.