By Jack Leon
With the Europa League roster having just been released, it seems like some of the academy players might be getting first-team minutes this campaign. The usual prospect Ben Doak is on the roster, but with Bobby Clark moving up in the rankings, Bobby might get some imperative minutes with the first team to help him grow as a player. The U21 squad have started their season off with a bang with three wins out of five, including a 4-0 thrashing against Everton. That said, the academy boys are competing for minutes with the first team this season.
This week Dan is joined by Liverpool.com editor and Blood Red podcast host, Matt Addison, to talk about the U21 group and the potential of some of its players.
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Matt Said:
“They’d much rather put somebody on the bench and have that first-team experience than prioritise a result we always see from the [u18s]. I think Bobby Clark is the one who looks so much better than anybody else.
“If you’re Bobby Clark, I think the fact that he’s not going out on loan, you’d be a little disappointed if you didn’t get a few opportunities in there. He’s perfectly suited to the way Liverpool play.
“You can see him playing that sort of that number ten, number eight kind of role that Szoboszlai will play. He can play left or right. He’s very comfortable on the ball, he’s not going to be fazed by anything.
“He’s almost in that Curtis Jones or Harvey Elliot position of maybe two or three years ago. He’s clearly outgrown the U21s.”
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Overall, the Reds seem to have quite a bit of talent climbing the ranks through the academy.
With players such as Ben Doak, Bobby Clark, and even Jarell Quansah seemingly improving their position in the pecking order in recent times as Klopp continues to put faith in young talents, Liverpool’s academy continues to provide the first team with key squad members.
Participating in the Europa League this season, we may get to see these players given more exposure in Europe. This year’s campaign should be very exciting to watch in terms of youth development.
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