Despite the 12-hour flight time, the humidity and the sometimes draining adulation, Liverpool's tour of Asia was the easy part. Now Kenny Dalglish has the rather more unpleasant task of pruning a bloated midfield.
The Liverpool manager has invested £47 million this summer in three midfielders - Stewart Downing, Jordan Henderson and Charlie Adam. However, with the club's owner, John W Henry, tweeting that he expects Alberto Aquilani, who spent last season on loan at Juventus, to stay on Merseyside, Dalglish's room for manoeuvre may be narrowing.
Milan Jovanovic, his most obvious misfit and the last and worst signing made by Rafael Benítez, is close to the exit door. The Serb has had offers from both Anderlecht and Lille, although he said his wife would prefer Brussels to northern France.
Like Maxi Rodríguez and Joe Cole, he was a free transfer on high wages. The three of them, all touted for moves away from Merseyside, are each reportedly on around £100,000 a week.
Rodríguez confirmed last month that he had been approached by his former club, Newell's Old Boys, and said that he was keen to return, despite a fine end to the season in which he scored two hat-tricks.
Cole, the club's marquee signing last year, had been widely expected to leave the club, linked with moves to Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa and even Hamburg.
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