Liverpool will always carry Diogo Jota in their hearts, manager Arne Slot said as his side prepare to play their first game since the forward’s tragic death.

Jota, 28, and brother Andre Silva, 25, were killed in a car accident in north-west Spain on July 3.

Tributes have since flooded in from across the football world, while Liverpool announced they will retire the number 20 worn by Jota in honour of the Portugal star.

The Reds will remember Jota before facing Preston North End in a pre-season friendly at Deepdale on Sunday.

Liverpool’s return to the pitch may understandably prove a difficult experience for their players, but Slot believes that keeping the memory of Jota alive in their hearts will be beneficial in the toughest moments.

“We will always carry him with us in our hearts, in our thoughts, wherever we go. Maybe especially in difficult moments,” Slot told LFC TV ahead of the game with Preston.

“But 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.

“We’ll always carry him with us” ❤️

Arne Slot with a heartfelt tribute to Diogo Jota.

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) July 13, 2025

“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.

“The first feeling we all have is of sadness. The second feeling that comes to my mind is pride. I think his parents and (Jota’s wife) Rute can be so proud of the player and the person he was – mainly the person.

“I’ve spoken to many of his team-mates, I’ve spoken to many staff members, and they all rate him so high and all say how nice of a person he was. That he was always himself. So they should and will be very proud if they could hear what all his team-mates and all the staff members would say about him.

“Second of all, I think our fans can be so proud about the players we have at this club. They’ve seen them winning the league, that was a great achievement, but what they did in the last week with the togetherness they had, how they conducted themselves when we were in Portugal (for Jota’s funeral) together, the fans couldn’t have asked for more from our players when it comes to how great human beings they are.

“Those are the two emotions. Of course, the first emotion of sadness is much stronger than the one of being proud. But it’s the both of them.”

On the prospect of playing football again following Jota’s death, Slot added: “Nothing seems to be important if we think of what has happened. But we are a football club and we need to train and we need to play again, if we want it or not.

“What I’ve said to the players, I can say it here as well. 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?

Forever our number 20… ❤️ pic.twitter.com/SKrbd8CMgE

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) July 11, 2025

“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 team-mates, to the staff, he was always himself.

“So let us try to be ourselves as well. So, if we want to laugh we laugh; if we want to cry we’re going to cry. If they want to train they can train, if they don’t want to train they can not train. But be yourself, don’t think you have to be different than your emotions tell you.

“Second of all, Jots was the player that if things were really, really, really difficult, I always looked at him and said ‘Now we need something special from you’. And he delivered so many times in those moments. I can come up with all of these moments, even before I was here he had many of these moments as well.

“So we are in a very difficult time, so let’s try to do what Diogo did so many times. If it’s so difficult then try a little bit harder or just keep on going and try to make it work.

“The last thing is that he was the player in our team I would say that mainly with him it was all about the team. And not only the players; also, like I said, the staff. If we want to go through this period we need to do this together.”