Liverpool are set to undergo a transitional period in the summer, as German boss Jurgen Klopp sets about shaping a squad that can challenge for a top four finish and beyond.
One thing the ex-Dortmund head coach is keen to do is to integrate the youth team players who are ready for first-team action into his match day squad, rather than farming them out to the Football League on loan, which has been the case in the past.
Over the years the Liverpool supporting punters here in the Transfer Tavern have been left drooling by some of the talent that as emerged from the academy, with the likes of Michael Owen, Robbie Fowler and Steven Gerrard all going on to create something special whilst wearing the famous red shirt.
A group of Liverpool fans are talking about their current crop of youngsters at the Tavern’s cocktail bar and one elderly gentleman is happy that Klopp wants to give youth a chance, and thinks the only way they will learn is by being given a chance to shine in the team.
Here, our writer Lee Clarke takes a look at FIVE youngsters who look set to be stars of the future at Liverpool Football Club…..
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PRESS THE IMAGE BELOW TO SEE THE FIVE PLAYERS!
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Ryan Kent
The 19-year-old was sent to Coventry City in League One, whilst Brendan Rodgers was still at the helm but one of Jurgen Klopp’s first tasks was to bring the youngster back to Anfield.
The German had seen enough in training from the tricky winger to suggest he was ready for his debut and duly obliged, by given the youngster a chance to shine in the FA Cup game away to Exeter City back in January.
Kent had caught the eye during his temporary stint with the Sky Blues and there is nothing to say that the starlet cannot have a future in the Liverpool side for years to come, should he be given more opportunities.
Sheyi Ojo
The speedy winger is arguably the standout performer in Liverpool’s academy and was doing great things in the Championship with Wolverhampton Wanderers, before being recalled by Klopp due to an injury crisis.
The ex-Milton Keynes Dons player looks destined for a bright future in the professional game, and surely the 2016/17 campaign will be the season when he plays a serious part in Liverpool’s Premier League squad on a consistent basis.
Ojo was part of the travelling party that toured Australia and the Far East during pre-season and his versatility gives him a great chance to get games for the senior squad, with the youngster comfortable using his raw pace on the wing or his power and strength as part of a front two.
Adam Phillips
Attacking midfielder Phillips netted Liverpool’s first goal during their 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest in the FA Youth Cup last week, and his performance throughout the game suggested that the has a bright future in the game.
At just 18-years-old Phillips still has a lot of learning to do but he will take confidence from the fact that he has been an instrumental part in the Reds’ youth team that have reached the quarter-finals of the Youth Cup.
Former Reds boss Brendan Rodgers clearly rated Phillips highly and he was one of only a few youth players to tour America during July 2014 and has found himself playing fairly frequently for the club’s under-21 outfit over the past two years.
Joe Gomez
The versatile defender was signed from Championship club Charlton Athletic in the summer of 2015 and in his five games for the first-team at the start of this season he showed enough to suggest he has a bright future as a Premier League footballer.
The 18-year-old’s season was cruelly cut short when he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament whilst playing for the England Under-21’s back in October, but there is little doubt that the London-born prospect will be back better than ever.
When Gomez signed for the club it was initially anticipated that he would be one for the future and would play with the club’s development squad, but Brendan Rodgers clearly saw enough in the youngster that suggested he was good enough to start the season as part of his back four.
Danny Ward
The goalkeeper position is an area of real concern for Liverpool with neither Simon Mignolet or Adam Bogdan seemingly capable of going on a run of game,s without doing something catastrophic.
The 22-year-old was also recalled from a loan spell with Aberdeen by boss Klopp which clearly indicates that he is unsure about either of the current custodians in his squad.
Ward played 21 times for the Dons in the Scottish Premier League during the first half of the season and played a huge part in their quest to topple Celtic at the top of the SPL, putting in a series of performances that contributed to the club’s current second place in the league table.
Ex-Bolton stopper Bogdan has been omitted from the Liverpool squad ever since his woeful performance in the FA Cup at Exeter City and it has to be said that Klopp already sees Ward as someone who can genuinely challenge Mignolet for the gloves.
