Vitor Matos has claimed that Liverpool are well-stocked for the future due to the quality within their under-23 squad this season.
Speaking to The Athletic, Matos shared that he has been so impressed with the Liverpool youngsters throughout the year.
“Their talent is huge,” said the Portuguese coach. “Still a lot to come and a lot of space for improvement, but what’s more important is that they get space and time to go on the journey with us. This mixture of senior examples and young talent is what makes our club a bit more refreshing.”
One example is Tyler Morton, who had an unexpected breakthrough this season at Liverpool. More youngsters will be hoping to follow his lead for a chance in the first-team next time around.
Another crop of youngsters make their marks
Having the first-team and academy pitches in the same location is obviously making a big difference to Liverpool.
This season has seen nine players make their first-team debuts for Liverpool. Of those, six followed that up with another appearance for Klopp’s quadruple chasers.
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The most impressive of the bunch is probably Kaide Gordon. Although Morton has come out of nowhere to show his quality too.
The midfielder stepped up when Liverpool were struck down by a Covid crisis around the turn of the year. He didn’t look out of place as he started away to Tottenham Hotspur and AC Milan. The 20-year-old has nine appearances in one of the best Liverpool teams of all time. Not bad.
Full-back pair Owen Beck and Conor Bradley have also impressed when given the chance. Beck has reportedly made an impression on Klopp in training and should get further opportunities in pre-season.
Elijah Dixon-Bonner had his dream come true when picked from the start against Shrewsbury Town in the FA Cup third round. The midfielder did well and should have even come away with a goal.
Others, such as Max Woltman, James Norris, Melkamu Frauendorf, Harvey Blair made less of an impression. But the experience of being involved with the team at such a high level will be invaluable.
Players like Neco and Rhys Williams, Harvey Elliott and Caoimhin Kelleher are also establishing themselves to varying degrees. Add to that the signing of Fabio Carvalho, Ben Doak and the reported interest in Jobe Bellingham, and the future looks very bright indeed.