Liverpool supporters saw Alexander Isak take part in his first training session on Tuesday after the club’s record signing joined the squad at Kirkby. Jon Dahl Tomasson insisted that Isak wasn’t anywhere near ready to start a competitive fixture after spending his summer in self-imposed exile. The Sweden boss gave him 18 minutes in the 2–0 defeat to Kosovo on Monday night and within 48 hours he was out on the Kirkby pitches.

Jeremie Frimpong’s presence on the training ground was another positive sign. The £29.5 million summer arrival from Bayer Leverkusen was pictured scampering around with his usual zesty energy after being sidelined through injury. The fullback missed Liverpool’s final two games of August after damaging his hamstring an hour into his Premier League debut.

Conor Bradley is also working his way back from a muscular issue. With Bradley and Frimpong unavailable early on, Arne Slot was forced to deploy central midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai in the backline. That tactical switch proved effective. Szoboszlai embraced the defensive role while retaining the stamina to contribute to Liverpool’s attacking play and his spectacular free kick decided a stale clash with Arsenal a fortnight ago.

Bradley returned to the bench for that meeting with Arsenal and was assessed fit enough to join up with Northern Ireland. He started against Luxembourg last week and then played the full 90 minutes of a 3–1 defeat to Germany. That Germany result was, incidentally, settled by another free kick from a Liverpool player, on this occasion Florian Wirtz.

The training images offered a guarded boost: Isak back on the grass after limited minutes for his national side, Frimpong moving freely following his hamstring setback, and Bradley continuing his return from a muscular problem. For now, the club will continue to manage each player’s minutes and monitor recovery as preparations continue.

Michael Owen set off a public debate after a social media outburst in which he offered a detailed statistical comparison of himself and Wayne Rooney from the early stages of their careers. According to the original exchange, Owen listed his achievements and rejected suggestions that Rooney was the superior youngster, framing the discussion in numbers and milestones.

Rooney chose a measured response, addressing the issue on The Wayne Rooney Show and refusing to escalate the exchange. He said: “Michael and I are very different players,” he said on The Wayne Rooney Show . “I used to go out on the street and pretend to be Michael Owen—even though he played for Liverpool.

“I think his comments are fair. Of course, he’s going to back himself. I’d back myself. But, I’d never judge myself against Michael Owen because he’s someone I actually looked up to and had the pleasure of playing alongside.”

The episode underlines two truths about the pair that featured heavily in the original discussion. Owen emerged as a spectacular young goalscorer, making an immediate impact and collecting high-profile recognition early in his career. He was the second-youngest Ballon d’Or winner ever in 2001, a fact often cited when comparing the two forwards at similar ages.

Rooney’s reply steered away from recrimination and towards perspective. The piece at hand notes that while Owen was certainly the more gifted finisher in his breakthrough years, Rooney’s career is distinguished by longevity and technical quality. That combination is presented as the basis for judging Rooney’s overall standing in football rather than focusing solely on early statistical advantage.

The exchange is notable for its frankness and for Rooney’s diplomatic tone in reply. It leaves the comparison framed both by Owen’s early brilliance and by Rooney’s sustained contribution over the course of his career.

Willem II have given a permanent tribute to one of their academy graduates by renaming the main stand at their youth stadium the Virgil van Dijk Tribune.

Van Dijk’s connection to the Tilburg club runs deep. He spent 11 years within Willem II’s youth setup before joining Groningen in 2010. He never made a senior appearance for Groningen but remains closely tied to his boyhood club.

The renaming coincides with the launch of Virgil’s Legacy Trophy, an Under-13s tournament organised with Van Dijk’s involvement. The competition will bring together the clubs the defender represented during his career, with Liverpool, Southampton, Celtic, Groningen and Willem II among the invited sides. Eleven other teams will also take part at the tournament in Tilburg this September.

On the recognition, Van Dijk said: “It makes me very proud,” Van Dijk said of the tribute . “Willem II has played an important role in my life and in my development as a young player.

“That this is now recognised in this way means a lot to me and my family. It is a very special tribute and I appreciate the warmth and connection I still feel with the club.”

Willem II’s general manager Merijn Goris spoke of the wider purpose behind the gesture: “Virgil means so much to Willem II and to our youth academy. We wanted to give him something lasting.

The new stand name will be visible throughout youth fixtures and serves as a nod to the club’s role in Van Dijk’s early development as the tournament brings young players from the involved clubs together in Tilburg. The move is both a local acknowledgement and a practical celebration of the link between the first steps taken in a club academy and the career that followed for one of the game’s leading centre backs.