Jurgen Klopp has always been prepared to give youth a chance during his time as Liverpool manager, and he continues to reap the benefits in what is now his final season in charge.
Trent Alexander-Arnold made his debut under the German, developing into a first-team regular, while Curtis Jones and Jarell Quansah are key members of the squad this term. Others are knocking on the door, with Conor Bradley impressing on his Premier League debut at Bournemouth before Bobby Clark, Owen Beck and Kaide Gordon were given minutes from the bench.
Others have been forced to try their luck elsewhere in the Premier League, with relative success. Dominic Solanke has been among the goals for Bournemouth this term, while Sergi Canos - now back in Spain with Valencia - enjoyed a number of fruitful seasons with Brentford.
But what of those who haven't stayed in the limelight? Mirror Football has looked at seven others and checked in on them to see what they're up to these days.
Kevin Stewart
Midfielder Stewart was among those handed a first-team bow during Klopp's first few months in charge. The Londoner, who joined from hometown club Tottenham without making a senior appearance, made his bow against Exeter City in the 2015-16 FA Cup and made a total of 20 outings under the German boss.
Jurgen Klopp's approach with Robert Lewandowski bodes well for Darwin Nunez
He ended up leaving in the summer of 2017, joining Hull in the same window which saw Andy Robertson move in the opposite direction. However, while Robertson remains at Anfield, Stewart left Hull after three seasons.
After a few months out of the game, he joined Blackpool in 2021, linking up with former Liverpool academy coach Neil Critchley. He is now without a club, though, at the age of just 30.
Ben Woodburn
Woodburn burst onto the scene at international level while still finding his feet at Anfield. He scored a memorable winner for Wales against Austria as a teenager, helping his country come close to qualification for the 2018 World Cup but just missing out.
Did Liverpool sell any of their youngsters too early? Have your say in the comments section
Ben Woodburn scored one senior goal for Liverpool (LIVERPOOL ECHO)At club level, he made a late bow from the bench shortly after his 17th birthday, the same age he was when he scored his first Reds goal in a League Cup victory against Leeds. That would end up being his only Liverpool goal, though, with injuries harming his development while out on loan.
The Welshman eventually left permanently in 2022. He joined Preston on an initial one-year deal, with the Championship side exercising an option to extend it for the current campaign.
Sheyi Ojo
Ojo was out on loan when Klopp took over, but returned to Anfield to make his debut in the FA Cup against Exeter before scoring his first Reds goal in the replay. He also received game time in the Premier League that season, and was an unused sub on several occasions during the run to the Europa League fina.
A number of loans followed, some more successful than others, but he never got the chance to establish himself at Liverpool. Like Woodburn, he completed a permanent exit in 2022, in his case joining Cardiff City.
Several managerial changes at Cardiff meant a player who got plenty of minutes last season was allowed to leave on loan after Erol Bulut took over as the Bluebirds' manager. Ojo is spending the season in Belgium with Kortrijk, scoring his first goal for the bottom side in November.
Celtic icon Frank McGarvey dies aged 66 as tributes paid to hero after cancer fight
Rhian Brewster
Brewster burst onto the scene with England's under-17s in 2017, firing them to World Cup glory. Any hopes of immediately transferring that into first-team opportunities were hindered by injury, though, with an ankle issue sidelining him for more than a year.
Rhian Brewster has been goal-shy at Sheffield United (Getty Images)The striker was eventually given his opportunity by Klopp, with the manager naming him as a sub for the 2019 Champions League final and giving him three senior games the following season - the first of them against MK Dons in the League Cup. His final Liverpool game was the 2020 Community Shield, where he was the only player to miss in the penalty shootout defeat to Arsenal.
Sheffield United's bid of more than £20m was too much for Liverpool to refuse, and Brewster moved to Bramall Lane weeks after that Wembley outing. The 23-year-old has struggled for goals, though, scoring just five times in more than 70 appearances, and was sent off against West Ham in his most recent Premier League appearance.
Connor Randall
Local lad Randall made eight appearances under Klopp, with the first coming against Bournemouth just weeks after the German's appointment. However, the rise of Alexander-Arnold meant there was only room for one promising academy right-back going forward.
After a number of loan moves, Randall opted to try his luck in Bulgaria. While his former team-mates were winning the Premier League in the 2019-20 season, he was part of the Arda side which secured safety in their first top-flight season.
He left Arda after just one season, though, joining Scottish Premiership outfit Ross County. That's where he remains to this day, scoring the first goals of his career this season.
Ovie Ejaria
Former Arsenal youngster Ejaria made his Liverpool bow in the 2016-17 season. Klopp gave the youngster his debut in a League Cup win against Derby, with his first Premier League minutes arriving in a 6-1 victory over Watford.
Loans then followed, as has often been the case, with the midfielder among a group of Liverpool youngsters joining Steven Gerrard at Rangers in 2018. Next came 18 months on loan at Reading, who were impressed enough to make the move permanent in the summer of 2020.
Former Liverpool youngster Ovie Ejaria left Reading in 2023 (Getty Images)Still just 26, Ejaria was relegated from the Championship with the Royals last season. He agreed to leave the club by mutual consent in December after a series of injury issues.
Ki-Jana Hoever
Picked up from Ajax as a teenager, Hoever was thrust into the team by Klopp in January 2019 when he was brought in to replace the injured Dejan Lovren in the FA Cup. Wolves were the opponents that day, and Wolves is also where he went in 2020, moving to Molineux as Diogo Jota made the opposite journey.
After four games and one goal for Liverpool, he played a bit more at Wolves, only to fall out of favour entirely once Bruno Lage took the reins. He is now in his second loan spell away from the club, the first of which was back in his home country of the Netherlands with PSV Eindhoven.
That move was cut short 12 months ago, and the versatile defender headed to Stoke City. The Championship side renewed his loan for another year over the summer, and he has been a near ever-present for the Potters this term as they battle to stay in the second tier.
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
