‘Fantastic’ wonderkid PROMOTED to Liverpool first team

Arne Slot’s willingness to introduce youth players into first-team action has been heavily evidenced so far this season and it’s not stopping any time soon.

Both Trey Nyoni and Tyler Morton have received first-team minutes so far this season, with Nyoni making his first-team matchday squad debut in the Champions League, of all places.

A myriad of youth players have also been spotted training with the first-team squad at various points this season.

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Most recently it was 16-year old Rio Ngumoha and the returning-from-injury Jayden Danns who made headlines, notably because of Danns’s previous involvement in the first-team under former manager Jurgen Klopp.

And another exciting youngster has been spotted training with the first-team ahead of this week’s seismic Champions League clash against Real Madrid.

Jack Lusby is reporting on Twitter that Isaac Mabaya was spotted in the session earlier this afternoon.

Mabaya recently returned from a lengthy stint on the sidelines in the youth edition of the Merseyside Derby, and played a full half as Liverpool’s under-21s ran out 4-1 winners against Wolves a few weeks ago.

The hope is that he will be involved again as the under-21s take on Reading on Saturday.

Could Mabaya make Liverpool's first-team?

Mabaya was a highly anticipated prospect before his injury issues, seen as ahead of Conor Bradley in the pecking order at right-back, and the hope is that he can get back to that level.

“Isaac’s sadly on that list of players who’ve missed a lot of football,” Liverpool’s under-21 coach Barry Lewtas told This Is Anfield.

“He is a fantastic character. He’s a strong boy, we’ve had these moments before with players who’ve come through the other side, we’ll just keeping working hard.”

Given the uncertainty of the future of the right-back position at Liverpool, with Trent Alexander-Arnold possibly being headed to the continent come the summer, Slot getting as close a look at Mabaya as he can is promising.

If we can see a return to form for the right-back then we can expect a place in a first-team matchday squad sooner rather than later.

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