More than a dozen academy players have made their debuts for Liverpool under manager Jurgen Klopp, and some of them have performed better at Anfield than others.
In what is now his final season as manager of Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp has always been willing to give young players a chance, and he is still reaping the rewards.
In addition to Curtis Jones and Jarell Quansah, who are important players of the club this season, Trent Alexander-Arnold made his debut under the German and went on to establish himself as a first-team regular. Conor Bradley made an impression on his Premier League debut at Bournemouth, and Bobby Clark, Owen Beck, and Kaide Gordon were handed minutes off the bench before others knocked on the door.
Others were compelled to try their luck in another Premier League location, where they have had some success. This season, Dominic Solanke has scored a handful of goals for Bournemouth, and Sergi Canos, who is currently back in Spain with Valencia, had several successful seasons with Brentford.
However, what about those who haven’t maintained their prominence? Seven more have been examined by Mirror Football, who has also followed them to find out their current activities.
Stewart, a midfielder, was one of the players given his first-team debut in Klopp’s initial months in charge. The Londoner, who arrived from local team Tottenham without playing for the senior team, made his FA Cup debut against Exeter City in 2015–16 and appeared in 20 games for the German manager.
In the summer of 2017, he finally left and joined Hull at the same window when Andy Robertson moved in the opposite direction. But after three seasons at Hull, Stewart left, while Robertson is still at Anfield.
He took a few months apart from the game before returning to Blackpool in 2021, when he teamed up with Neil Critchley, the former coach of Liverpool’s youth. However, at the young age of thirty, he no longer has a club.
Ben Woodburn
Woodburn was still getting used to Anfield when he made his international debut. When he was a youngster, he gave Wales a famous victory over Austria, almost losing out on qualifying for the 2018 World Cup.
Shortly after turning 17 years old—the age at which he scored his first goal for the Reds in a League Cup triumph over Leeds—he made a belated debut for the team. Though injuries hindered his progress while on loan, that would turn out to be his sole goal for Liverpool.
In 2022, the Welshman finally made his permanent departure. He signed a one-year contract with Preston, with the Championship team exercising an option to extend it for the remainder of the current season.
Seyi Ojo
After Klopp took over, Ojo was on loan, but he came back to Anfield to play in the FA Cup against Exeter and then score his first goal for the Reds in the replay. That season, he also saw action in the Premier League and was frequently utilised as a substitute during the run-up to the Europa League final.
He had several more loans, some of which were more successful than others, but he was never given the opportunity to make a name for himself at Liverpool. Similar to Woodburn, he concluded a permanent departure in 2022, joining Cardiff City in his instance.
A player who saw a lot of playing time the previous season was permitted to depart on loan when Erol Bulut took over as Cardiff’s manager, one of several managerial changes at the Bluebirds. Ojo, who is playing for Kortrijk in Belgium, scored his first goal for the losing team in November.
Rhian Brewster
In 2017, Brewster made his breakthrough with the England under-17 team, leading them to World Cup success. His ankle problem kept him out of the first team for over a year, which dashed any expectations of translating that into first-team opportunities right away.
After all, Klopp gave the striker his chance, inserting him as a substitute for the 2019 Champions League final and giving him three senior appearances the next season, starting in the League Cup against MK Dons. In the 2020 Community Shield, his last match for Liverpool, he was the only player to miss in the team’s penalty shootout loss to Arsenal.
when the Wembley match, Brewster moved to Bramall Lane when Sheffield United’s over £20 million deal was too good for Liverpool to turn down. The 23-year-old, who has made over 70 appearances, has struggled to score goals; in his most recent Premier League game, he was sent off against West Ham.
Connor Radnall
Randall, a local, made eight appearances for Klopp, his debut coming a few weeks after the German’s arrival against Bournemouth. But looking forward, there was only going to be room for one talented academy right-back due to Alexander-Arnold’s ascent.
Following several loan transfers, Randall decided to give Bulgaria a shot. He was a member of the Arda club that won safety in their first season in the top division, even as his former teammates were winning the Premier League in 2019–20.
After just one season, he departed Arda to join Ross County of the Scottish Premiership. He still stays there, having this season scored his first goals of the year.
Ovie Ejaria
Ejaria, a former Arsenal player, debuted for Liverpool during the 2016–17 campaign. The young player’s Premier League debut came in a 6-1 victory over Watford, after Klopp gave him his start in a League Cup victory over Derby.
Loans then followed, as has frequently happened, and in 2018, the midfielder joined Steven Gerrard at Rangers along with several other young players from Liverpool. After spending 18 months on loan at Reading, they were so impressed that in the summer of 2020, they decided to make the transfer permanent.
Ejaria, who is only 26 years old, was demoted from the Royals’ Championship team the previous year. After a string of injury problems in December, he consented to leave the club.
Ki-jana Hoever
Hoever was introduced into the team by Klopp in January 2019 after being plucked from Ajax as a teenager, filling in for the injured Dejan Lovren during the FA Cup. That day’s opponents were Wolves, and that’s also where he moved to in 2020 when Diogo Jota took the opposite route, moving to Molineux.
He played a little bit more at Wolves after four games and one goal for Liverpool, but as Bruno Lage took over, he completely lost favour. He currently serves as the club’s loan player for the second time; the first one was spent with PSV Eindhoven in his native Netherlands.
Twelve months ago, that transfer was cancelled, and the adaptable defender moved to Stoke City. He was given a one-year extension by the Championship team in the summer, and the Potters have been largely reliant on him this season as they fight to stay in the second division.
