As the summer began to draw to a close to an international event filled with multiple continents, the focus shifted to domestic competitions as players returned to pre-season training reports.
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While many joined after playing for their country, some may reluctantly return to their home club after a longer absence. Some may even have a hard time finding a training ground!
Take Loris Karius, for example, who caught many Liverpool fans off guard when he suddenly appeared at the club's training camp in Austria.
In fact, seeing Karius in a liverpool shirt came as a shock to many, who were surprised to find that the German goalkeeper was still on the club's roster and had not played since 2018.
Karius was loaned to Besiktas and The Berlin Union after his last appearance for Liverpool ended in disastrous ends in disaster. It was played against Real Madrid in the 2017-18 Champions League final, where the goalkeeper suffered an early concussion in a collision with Sergio Ramos before making a costly mistake in the 3-1 defeat.
He was deported after another gaffe in the pre-season friendlies that began next season, with Alisson signing from Roma with a world-record goalkeeper transfer, with Karius left on a three-year contract.
The contract is still a year away, although Karius — who made just four appearances for the league last season — is expected to go on loan again. However, at least for now, he is back in Liverpool's squad and training with the first team.
Karius may be Liverpool's forgotten man, but many of the big clubs still retain the names you thought had moved many months ago.
Here are just some of the players you've almost certainly forgotten about are still technically the options of some of the biggest teams in the world.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="17" >Manchester United-Andreas Pereira</h1>
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Pereira was found training at Manchester United this week after spending time with Lazio in Italy last season – the third of his five seasons on loan.
The Belgian-born midfielder made his debut for United in 2014-15 but has since found his chances limited, making fewer than 50 league appearances in his seven years at Old Trafford.
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Manchester City - Patrick Roberts</h1>
Roberts, a former "mini Messi" prodigy, signed with Manchester City from Fulham in 2015 (the same month raheem Sterling joined the club) at the age of 18.
Roberts' transfer cost £11m, but the former England young striker made just one appearance for Manchester City over the next six years (in the final four minutes of the 4-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur on 4-1 september 2015). In fact, the 24-year-old has been on loan since signing his first loan deal with the Celtics in January 2016.
The attacking midfielder signed a two-year contract extension with Manchester City in May 2019 but still did not play for his home club, spending time with Girona, Norwich City, Middlesbrough and Derby County between 2018 and 2021.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="24" > Chelsea-Danny Drimpwater</h1>
Signed from Leicester City in September 2017 for £35 million, just 12 months after winning the Premier League, Drickwater's time at Chelsea was at least memorable.
The 31-year-old midfielder, who hasn't played for the Blues in three years, has had to find a place in the club's infamous 'loan army' – a plow ditch where an entire squad of players who seem to have been working all their lives flow elsewhere.
Delinkwater has played for Burnley and Aston Villa and for Kahinpasar in Turkey, for whom he made 11 appearances last season.
In fact, Chelsea can piece together the entire absent squad entirely on their own, with like Rufus Czech, Ross Buckley, Kennedy, Baba Rahman, Matt Miaga, Trevor Chalabah, Ethan Ampadu, Mike Pashua, David Zampacosta, Timo Bakayo and although almost all football has played elsewhere, Lewis Baker is still on the payroll.
Premier League champions Danny Drinkwater are now being left out in the cold to Chelsea. Darren Walsh/Chelsea Football Club via Getty Pictures
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="30" > Liverpool-Marco Gruich</h1>
In addition to Karius, Liverpool midfielder Grujic has also rejoined Liverpool at a training camp in the Austrian mountains.
The 25-year-old Serb signed with the Reds in 2016 but has only made eight appearances in the Premier League. In fact, Gruich was loaned back to Red Star Belgrade on loan after arriving at Anfield, which more or less set the template.
This was followed by a rather memorable experience in Cardiff in 2018, followed by two seasons in Hertha Berlin and a bland year in Porto in Portugal (2020-21).
However, with a contract valid until the summer of 2023, Gruich returned to Jurgen Klopp to await any future developments.
Marko Grujic looks certain to leave Liverpool again before the transfer window closes. John Powell/Liverpool Football Club via Getty Pictures
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="36" > Arsenal-Lucas Torreira</h1>
There's a flush of excitement when Arsenal fend off opponents from safe Luca Storella's service Sampdoria in the summer of 2018 £26m the aggressive Uruguay international should offer some much-needed sand in the heart of the Gunners' midfield for years to come.
After a decent first season, Torreira found his progress disrupted as Unai Emory, who brought him to North London, was sacked and replaced by Mikel Arteta, a midfielder he didn't think was all that indispensable.
Torreira was reduced to a small part and cameo, leaving the Emirates Stadium and spending the 2020-2021 season on loan at Atletico Madrid, where he won a trophy immediately at the first request – a league title, no less.
Now he is back, with an uncertain future, related to his return to Italy, and has also expressed a desire to play for Barcelona.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="41" > Tottenham Hotspur-Johart</h1>
Still only 34, it feels like Joe Hart has taken on the role of a veteran at Tottenham and is usually more reserved for the "senior" goalkeeper (consider Scott Carson at Manchester City and Lee Grant at Manchester United), lender experience, a junior accomplice, and both turning out in odd-number cup games here and there.
Hart last played in the Premier League in 2018 when he played for Burnley, and since his free transfer in the summer of 2020, he has only made 10 appearances for Tottenham in all competitions.
Still, he stepped in behind the scenes and was happy to play a second violin for Hugo Lloris.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="47" > Bayern Munich-Michael Kuysans</h1>
When Bayern ventured to take him away from Borussia Monchengladbach in the summer of 2019, Kuysans was considered a young master.
The talented midfielder signed directly from Nancy's under-19 team was crowned Borussia Moncheng's Player of the Season in his debut Bundesliga (2017-18).
Since moving to Bayern, the 21-year-old Frenchman has played just once for a full 90 minutes and found himself slipping in the rankings.
After playing only nine Bundesliga games in his first season at Bayern, he arranged a permanent transfer to Leeds United in the summer of 2020, but the deal failed due to a failed medical examination.
Subsequently, Cuysans chose to join Marseille on loan and returned to his native France in the 2020-21 season, playing 30 games and scoring two goals. Now he's back at Bayern, but how long can he hold out?
After returning from Marseille, Michael Cusans experienced his steps. M. Donato/Getty Images for FC Bayern
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="54" > Real Madrid-Martin Odergo</h1>
Considering that Odegard was already on the list of seven teams at the age of 22, many fans questioned who Odegard actually played for, and he cannot be blamed.
After spending part of his time on loan at Arsenal last season, Oldgard was again recalled to Real Madrid for pre-season – a cycle he knows all too well.
Odegaard was originally taken over by Los Blancos as a teenage prodigy in 2015 after tearing apart the Norwegian league with Stromsgodset at the age of 15.
However, the skilled midfielder has hardly seen Real Madrid since graduating from Team B, playing for Heerenveen, Vitesse, Real Sociedad and the Gunners.
Can he now regain the momentum that was once a sensation? He has only made 8 appearances for Real Madrid, but with Zidane's departure and Carlo Ancelotti's new coach impressed, maybe the Norwegian midfield organisers will finally make some tangible progress at the Bernabeu in the 2021-22 season?