Liverpool vow to carry champion Jota in their hearts

Arne Slot has called Diogo Jota a "champion in everything" and said Liverpool would "carry him with us in our hearts".

Liverpool remain in mourning following the death of Portugal forward Jota, 28, and his brother Andre Silva, 25, in a car crash in Zamora, Spain, on 3 July.

A number of tributes are planned on Sunday, when Liverpool travel to Preston to play their first pre-season friendly and their first match since the accident.

Earlier this week Slot joined several players in attending the tributes that have appeared to Jota and his brother outside Anfield.

Liverpool announced this week that Jota's number 20 shirt will be retired at all levels within the club.

"We will always carry him with us in our hearts, in our thoughts, wherever we go," Slot said on the Liverpool website. "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…

"I think what I take comfort in [is that] in the last month of his life he was a champion in everything. A champion for his family, which is the main and most important thing, because he got married.

"A champion for his country because he won the Nations League, [with] a country that he cared about so much, because he also wore the flag when we had celebrations. And of course a champion for us by winning the Premier League."

Before Sunday’s match there will be a rendition of club anthem 'You’ll Never Walk Alone’, while Preston will lay a wreath in front of the visiting supporters. There will also be a minute’s silence and players from both clubs will wear black armbands.

"Nothing seems to be important if we think of what has happened," Slot said of Sunday’s game. "But we are a football club and we need to train and we need to play again, if we want it or not.

"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?

"And 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."

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