Liverpool Thai All Stars Brendan Rodgers
Brendan Rodgers will want his Liverpool side to make a good impression against the Thai All StarsReuters

The Raheem Sterling issue has been put to bed, Liverpool can now move on and concentrate on what matters most during this time of the year– preparing themselves for the season ahead, starting with a preseason friendly in Bangkok against Thai All Stars on Tuesday.

Sterling is on his way to Manchester City, after Liverpool accepted a bid of around £44million, rising to £49m.

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"The club has agreed with another club a deal for Raheem to be transferred and subject to a medical that will go through," Brendan Rodgers, the Liverpool manager, confirmed in a press conference in Bangkok.

"Contrary to probably the last week or so, in terms of what was written, Raheem and I have always remained very strong in our relationship and have been right up until we left. So there's no issue there."

That might or might not be true, but what is certain is that Liverpool can look ahead to their new season without any distractions. The Reds, so popular in South East Asia, have made some astute signings already this season, with James Milner, Danny Ings, Adam Bogdan, Nathaniel Clyne, Joe Gomez and Roberto Firmino all signing on the dotted line.

While the signings are encouraging, Liverpool do need to strengthen in the striking department, with Christian Benteke of Aston Villa thought to be Rodgers' No.1 target. The Sterling money should help in that matter, but for the next few days at least, all the focus will be on getting as much fitness into the team as possible with these preseason games.

After the South East Asian sojourn, Liverpool also make a preseason trip to Australia.

"At this moment in time our objective is to get as fit as we possibly can and, of course, next season our target is always to be the very best that we can be," Rodgers said.

One of the new players that will be the centre of attention during this match against the Thai All Stars will be James Milner, who signed on a free from Manchester City.

Milner has made it clear he wants to play in the centre of midfield, and it will be interesting to see how well he strikes up a partnership with the new club captain Jordan Henderson.

"I felt valued by the manager [at Manchester City] and the club and they saw me as a big part of the team on and off the field," Milner said. "But I was always going to be filling in and being that utility guy and doing a job for the team, and maybe this was the first time I've made a decision to be more selfish and thought what was best for me.

"I was thinking what could have happened had I kicked on from that one season at Aston Villa where I played centrally and what could have happened if I'd carried on like that. Who knows?

"There's no guarantee that I'll come here and play every game. I know it's down to me. But I feel here at Liverpool – what the manager has said to me and where he sees me playing, he thinks my best position is in the middle [of midfield] as well – so it's down to me to get in the team."

While Milner and Ings will be a couple of the new faces in action during the match against Thai All Stars, Firmino will not be there, as he, along with Philippe Coutinho and Emre Can have been given extended leaves owing to their international commitments earlier in the summer.

Mario Balotelli, Fabio Borini and Luis Enrique have also been left out.

Liverpool squad: Mignolet, Bogdan, Fulton, Clyne, Gomez, Lovren, Moreno, Toure, Wisdom, Cleary, Skrtel, Sakho, Maguire, Allen, Henderson, Lucas, Milner, Chirivella, Rossiter, Teixeira, Ibe, Kent, Ojo, Wilson, Lallana, Markovic, Ings, Lambert, Origi.

Where to Watch Live

Liverpool vs Thai All Stars is scheduled for an 8 pm local time (6.30 pm IST, 2 pm BST, 9 am ET) start. Live coverage of the entire match will be on LFC TV, while the match can also be watched online via live streaming on LFC TV Go.