THE last time Liverpool visited the KC Stadium a little over 12 months ago, it proved the end of the road for their manager.

On Saturday, however, the journey east along the M62 could well be one of the last made by a clutch of players after Kenny Dalglish was given an unkind reminder of the shortcomings that have dogged the Anfield outfit in recent years.

That Liverpool lost at npower Championship side Hull City is not the main concern.

Yes, the 3-0 scoreline will raise eyebrows, but it is instead the performances of individual players that will have been at the forefront of Dalglish’s mind on the trip back to Merseyside.

Last week, the Liverpool manager hinted heavily his summer transfer splurge would be on hold until he managed to chop some of the deadwood that has been building in the squad.

That might be difficult on this evidence, with few if any of those patently in the shop window increasing their value – or indeed bolstering their chances of being retained – during a dismal collective first-half showing.

Pre-season is a notoriously poor barometer for the coming campaign, but not everything is warped by the lack of competitive edge.

Such as the enigma that is Alberto Aquilani. The Italian, back with Liverpool after a year on loan at Juventus, shone encouragingly during the Far East tour, but against a more robust Hull was more the player that struggled to make an impression in English football following his arrival from Roma in August 2009.

Fiorentina remain keen on his signature, and, like a similarly underwhelming Joe Cole, a parting of the ways may be beneficial to everyone.

That both players were perhaps Liverpool’s busiest workers in the first 45 minutes served only to highlight their struggles to live up to their respective reputations.