Arne Slot has emotionally paid tribute to Diogo Jota in a first interview since the Liverpool forward’s tragic death last week.
The Reds are back in action this Sunday as they begin their pre-season preparations against Championship side Preston.
The friendly, will begin after a rendition of You’ll Never Walk Alone, while representatives from Preston will lay a wreath in front of the away stand.
The fans and the players – who will play in black armbands – will then observe a minute’s silence in honour of Jota, while ‘digital tributes’ will play on screens around the pitch.
The game marks the first for Liverpool since Jota and his brother, Andre Silva died when when their car crashed in the early hours in northern Spain.
In the wake of Jota’s passing Liverpool announced that his No 20 squad number would be retired to pay tribute to the Portuguese forward, with Slot insisting it was the least the club could do.
Arne Slot paid tribute to Diogo Jota as Liverpool prepare to take to the pitch for the first time since the forward’s tragic death
Jota and his brother Andre, 26, died in a car crash last week whilst driving in the north west of Spain
Slot explained that his side will carry Jota in their memories as they attempt to navigate a future without him
‘We will always carry him with us in our hearts, in our thoughts, wherever we go,’ Slot told Liverpool’s website.
‘Maybe especially in difficult moments because of what I just said. But in any moment we are here, we will carry him with us in our thoughts and in our hearts.
‘To retire his shirt is the one thing we could, should and have done.’
Just weeks after the euphoria of securing the Premier League title, Slot’s players were attending the funeral of one of their closest friends.
Ahead of Sunday’s friendly at Deepdale, the Dutchman detailed the difficulties of returning to focusing on football after such a tragic incident.
Slot added that he is taking inspiration from Jota’s cheerful disposition as a means of helping his players move forward.
He continued: ‘Nothing seems to be important if we think of what has happened.
‘But we are a football club and we need to train and we need to play again, if we want it or not.
Slot admitted it has been difficult to focus on football in the wake of Jota’s death
But the Dutchman insisted that in following Jota’s example they are managing to move forward
‘What I’ve said to the players, I can say it here as well. It’s very difficult to find the right words because we constantly debate what is appropriate.
‘What is appropriate in our actions? What is appropriate [for] what we have to say? Can we train again? Can we laugh again? Can we be angry if there’s a wrong decision?
‘I’ve said to them, maybe the best thing for us to do is handle this situation like Jota was. And what I meant with that is that Jota was always himself, it didn’t matter if he was talking to me, to his teammates, to the staff, he was always himself.
‘So let us try to be ourselves as well. So, if we want to laugh we laugh; if we want to cry we’re going to cry. If they want to train they can train, if they don’t want to train they can not train.
‘But be yourself, don’t think you have to be different than your emotions tell you.’
