Liverpool get midfield BOOST ahead of Merseyside derby

Liverpool continue to turn out incredible talents from their highly-regarded academy.

The likes of Conor Bradley and Caoimhin Kelleher have followed the pathway from the underage sides to the first team while there is genuine excitement over the prospects of Trey Nyoni and Rio Ngumoha.

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One other player who has been in the Liverpool system since under-11s is James Balagizi.

The Manchester-born midfielder was said to have caught the eye of previous managerial incumbent Jurgen Klopp, who had no qualms about calling him to train with the first team when he was only 18.

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Balagizi mixed it well with the likes of Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in training sessions and a first-team breakthrough looked on the cards. He spent time in and around the first team picture back in December 2024 too.

James Balagizi RETURNS

Still only 21, Balagizi will nonetheless have to work at getting his senior career back on track after missing most of this season with injuries.

He has only played two competitive games for Liverpool under-21s all season long at Premier League 2 level - providing a goal and an assist in one of those outings against Sunderland back in the autumn.

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A frustrating spell on the sidelines came to an end over the weekend however with Balagizi playing for the first time since December and crowning the occasion with a goal.

Balagizi SCORES versus Blackburn

The club’s U21 team were in action against their Blackburn counterparts in a friendly at Kirkby, with Balagizi scoring the Reds’ second goal in a 2-1 win.

Balagizi and Kieran Morrison had a hand in Ranel Young’s opening goal before Ngumoha laid one on for Balagizi to make it 2-0. Rovers pulled on back but Liverpool remained in control of the contest.

Balagizi could have moved on loan in January were it not for injury and some senior game-time probably would have stood him in good stead.

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He endured frustrating spells out on loan last season with Wigan and Kilmarnock and could end up being made available again this summer.

How to watch the Merseyside Derby

UK viewers can watch the game on Sky TV. You can upgrade your existing Sky to add Sky Sports here or sign up for Sky here.

US viewers can watch the game on Peacock here. Fans can watch the live stream from anywhere by using a VPN and then signing up to the streaming service from your country of choice. You can get a VPN here.