Jurgen Klopp will use the Europa League as an opportunity to give game-time to Liverpool youngster Ben Doak next season.
The Reds are all-but certain to play in Europe’s secondary competition next year, with a fifth-place finish virtually confirmed in the Premier League. As a result, The Athletic have looked ahead to what that could mean for Liverpool in 2023/24.
By and large, the outlook is supposedly positive. Klopp himself is said to be as happy as he can be without the prospect of Champions League football.
One of the biggest reasons for that positivity is the chance to blood young players on the European stage. This is reportedly exactly what the Liverpool boss intends to do.
There will no doubt be more in the picture, but for now, The Athletic name two players who are ‘likely’ to be the main beneficiaries of this: Doak and Stefan Bajcetic. Having both made their senior debuts during 2022/23, they’ll be looking to kick on next campaign.
Liverpool set for Europa League return
Some Liverpool fans will be decrying the fact that their team won’t be at Europe’s top table next season. And that’s fair enough. But we won’t be turning our noses up at the Europa League.
It has been seven years since the Reds last played in the competition, having had an impressive six-season unbroken run in the Champions League.
That will have led to some attitudes among Liverpool fans that they and their players are ‘too good’ for its ugly younger brother. But we don’t subscribe to that.
The Europa League is in fact full of interesting – and quality – sides who Liverpool haven’t faced for ages. It’ll hopefully be for just a season, but it will give the Reds fans some exciting away trips at the very least.
No more Naples, Madrid and Porto as have been the norm for the last couple of years. Time for something different.
And time too to get the likes of Doak some more top-level continental experience. Last time Liverpool were in this competition, it gave Klopp a chance to run the rule over the likes of Jordon Ibe and Brad Smith.
Seven years on and the quality of Liverpool’s young players has improved immeasurably. Giving game-time to the likes of Bajcetic and the ‘outstanding’ Doak is only going to fast-track their development in a way the Champions League could not.
So, bring it on. We can’t wait to see this jet-heeled 17-year-old running riot on a Thursday night.
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