Wirtz makes first start as Liverpool lose to Milan

Liverpool's record signing Florian Wirtz made his first start for his new club as Arne Slot's side were beaten 4-2 by AC Milan at a sold-out Kai Tak Stadium in Hong Kong.

However, there was no place for Darwin Nunez or Luis Diaz in the Reds squad amid speculation they could leave following the arrival of Hugo Ekitike and the pursuit of Newcastle United's Alexander Isak.

Slot said after the game that Nunez missed the match because of injury but Colombia forward Diaz was left out as a result of "speculation on his future".

Liverpool legend Sir Kenny Dalglish laid a wreath of flowers before kick-off and the players had 'Diogo J 20' on their shirts in tribute to their former team-mate Diogo Jota, who died in a car accident as he and his brother Andre Silva drove through the Spanish province of Zamora earlier this month.

The Premier League champions dominated the opening 10 minutes but it was the Italian side who opened the scoring when a counter-attack ended with Rafael Leao smashing past Alisson Becker.

Dominik Szoboszlai equalised with a fine curling strike into the top corner of Mike Maignan's goal from the edge of the box.

England midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek restored Milan's lead early in the second half as the Reds were again caught short at the back and Noah Okafor made it 3-1 with a brilliant finish beyond Liverpool's new Georgia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili.

Cody Gakpo pulled one back in added time with a header from Ibrahima Konate's pinpoint ball into the box but an awful mix-up between Mamardashvili and Kostas Tsimikas allowed Okafor to net his second.

Liverpool now travel to Japan and will play Yokohama F. Marinos on Wednesday.

Wirtz comfortable in unusual role

Wirtz, a £116m signing from Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen, filled a unfamiliar false nine role against Milan with Nunez and Diaz missing and new signing Ekitike not ready to play.

The Germany playmaker had exciting 16-year-old Rio Ngumoha on his left and Mohamed Salah in his usual right wing position.

Slot is expected to use Wirtz either as an attacking midfielder behind the striker or a narrow left-sided forward, but in Hong Kong he showed he was capable of linking the forward line from an advanced central role.

His speed of thought and first touch kept him a step ahead of his opponents and opened up space for him to drive forward with the ball.

There was disappointment when he did not re-emerge for the second half, but fans got a look at Liverpool's other new signings - right-back Jeremie Frimpong and left-back Milos Kerkez - as they were introduced at half-time.

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Liverpool look short at the back

News broke before kick-off that versatile defender Joe Gomez had flown back to England for work on an Achilles injury and that leaves Liverpool with just two fit senior centre-backs.

Liverpool looked exposed in defence in both halves, with Virgil van Dijk starting the first period and Konate taking the captain's place in the second.

In the absence of Gomez, Ryan Gravenberch started alongside Van Dijk at the heart of the defence, meaning the usual midfield shield was missing.

Liverpool are already a central defender short after Jarell Quansah's transfer to Bayer Leverkusen, with Andrew Robertson used as a centre-back in the pre-season win at Preston North End and now it was the turn of another left-back, Tsimikas, to fill in.

However Slot said: "I don't think we have a concern at centre-back. Ryan showed he can play that position - he did it well, although we favour him as a number six.

"Wataru Endo can play there. So we have enough options but it is true that Jarell Quansah left and we haven't replaced him yet."

With 12 months left on his contract, Liverpool have been linked with a move for Crystal Palace and England defender Marc Guehi this summer and Gomez's injury could increase that interest.