Alan Shearer jokes about Liverpool starlet – been 'aware of' since academy days

Alan Shearer has identified Liverpool youngster Bobby Clark as a young talent he has been aware of, with the teenager originally coming through the Newcastle academy.

Clark made his first senior appearance of the 2023/24 season when he came off the bench during the second half of Liverpool's FA Cup third-round win over Arsenal on Sunday.

The midfielder impressed as he helped the Reds earn a 2-0 victory at the Emirates Stadium, while he has been tipped for a big future at Anfield.

Jurgen Klopp has previously spoken highly of Clark, while, speaking ahead of the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Fulham on Wednesday, Pep Lijnders insisted the 18-year-old was not a 'backup' option.

He told reporters: "I think Conor and Bobby [Clark], they are not backup players, they are part of our squad, they are young, they are hungry and they are made for games like this. Look what happened to Jarell [Quansah, we put him in at Newcastle when we were with 10 men. After that, he feels our trust, he knows that we really can rely on him and he makes the steps he makes. Young players just need opportunities. They don't need criticism, they just need trust from the coaching staff. That's what we try to do."

Clark – who is the son of former Premier League footballer Lee Clark – was signed by Liverpool from Newcastle in 2021, for a fee of around £1.5m.

Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, Shearer – a former teammate of the Liverpool youngster's dad – described Clark's cameo against Arsenal as 'brilliant'.

Discussing his knowledge of the 18-year-old, Shearer added: “He started off at the Newcastle academy and then went to Liverpool, maybe, what 18 months a couple of years ago, something like that.

“I was aware of him, yeah. When I saw his name on the on the bench [against Arsenal] there was going to be a chance that he that he could get on. [He’s] far better looking than his dad!”

An England Under-19 international, Clark made his senior debut for Liverpool last season in the 9-0 Premier League win over Bournemouth, while he scored his only senior goal in the 4-0 pre-season win against Leicester last summer.

His father, Lee, made 185 Premier League appearances for Newcastle and Fulham across the 90's and early 00's.