Liverpool academy advisor names two youngsters who could be in first team

Former Liverpool star and current academy advisor Steve McManaman has named two rising stars who would be playing in the first team had they not been sent out on loan.

The 2023/24 season has been one of breakthroughs at Liverpool, with a litany of young talent making the step up from the youth sides to Jurgen Klopp's lineup.

The start of the season saw the likes of Jarell Quansah and Ben Doak handed chances, while a mid-season injury crisis of unprecedented levels has seen the manager turn to the likes of Conor Bradley, Bobby Clark, James McConnell, Jayden Danns and more with impressive results.

'Klopp's Kids' played a significant role in delivering the Carabao Cup trophy as well as progressing to the FA Cup quarter finals, while the rises of the likes of Bradley, Danns and Quansah in particular have been among the stories of the season.

With academy products Curtis Jones and Trent Alexander-Arnold, of course, already key members of the first team squad, the lasting homegrown influence at Liverpool may end up being Klopp's greatest legacy.

And former Liverpool winger McManaman has suggested that there are even more young talents on the books, who could be good enough for chances amid the injury crisis had they not been loaned out.

Now working as an advisor in the Reds' academy, McManaman told the Mirror: "The academy have always done a brilliant job. You go down the line from Trent (Alexander-Arnold) to Curtis (Jones), three, four or five years ago, they've always tried to bring players through.

"It's just that, of course, the injury problems they've had of late, it's been put into focus for the general population that these kids are good enough and are playing really well.

"But also, you have to talk about the ones who are on loan like Tyler Morton and Fabio Carvalho, they're on loan at the minute and doing really well but unfortunately for them, they've just missed out on this opportunity because if they were here they'd be playing.

"But the main thing is the future's bright. These players, because they've played in the first-team, they've got a financial value and things like that, so it really helps with everything going on with FFP (Financial Fair Play) and PSR (Profit and Sustainability Rules). So the fact these academy players have values is very important for balancing the books and things like that."

Both Carvalho and Morton are on loan at Hull City in the Championship until the end of the season.

21-year-old Morton, a deep lying midfielder, joined the Tigers last summer and has made over 30 appearances as Liam Rosenior's side bid for promotion. Meanwhile, linked up with his Liverpool teammate in January, after a loan move to RB Leipzig was cut short due to a lack of game time.

Speaking on the Liverpool youngsters who have stepped up for the first team in recent weeks, McManaman stressed that while they will be 'inconsistent', a gradual bedding in to the first-team as senior players return from injury is a sensible approach.

He added: "I think they've acquitted themselves really, really well and they should be very proud of themselves. They're not gonna play 20 games between now and the end of the season - and nor should they - but when they're given the opportunity and given the chance, as long as they grasp it and play well, work hard, then I think that's all you can hope for.

"They're gonna be inconsistent, if we're gonna need them every single game, every single week, they are gonna be inconsistent and gonna have bad games, difficult games. But I think the fact Jurgen can dip them in, dip them out as the team starts to get fitter, I think that will suit them down to the ground really."