Two Liverpool youngsters have been really catching Jurgen Klopp’s eye this season

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Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has been ‘pleasantly surprised’ by the development of two academy youngsters this season.

Klopp has always been a head coach who gives chances to young players. If you do well for the underage sides – and impress at the AXA Training Centre – the boss is going to notice.

If you then take your chance in the Liverpool first-team, you then have the opportunity to alter the club’s transfer plans by becoming a fully-fledged senior player.

And according to The Daily Mail journalist Lewis Steele, that’s exactly what has happened with Jarell Quansah and Ben Doak.

“Young players have stepped up so far this season to make up the numbers in the squad – Ben Doak and Jarell Quansah especially,” Steele said in a live Q&A with Liverpool supporters. “And Jurgen Klopp has been left pleasantly surprised by their development.

“Because of that, I don’t think Liverpool are in a rush to sign anyone [in January].”

Liverpool counting on young stars

It can take a while before young players are truly recognised as genuine options in the first-team squad. For example, a lot of fans will still look at the Reds team and count Quansah as a kind of ‘half’ option.

Many would say that with four senior centre-backs – and two of them the wrong side of 30 – Liverpool need another one added in the transfer window.

That isn’t to ignore Quansah’s progress, but until he can start a number of games in succession at the top-level, that will be the way it is.

Certainly, if Liverpool were to fail to sign a centre-back due to the 20-year-old, a lot of fans would be wary. It isn’t that he hasn’t been impressive, because he has, but the England U21 international doesn’t yet feel like a full-time member of the squad.

The same goes for Doak. When Liverpool supporters count out their sublime attacking options right now, they look at the five star names Klopp has at his disposal. Doak is waiting in the wings but is not yet able to be fully counted on.

A good example of how this can change is Stefan Bajcetic. This time last year, Bajcetic was in a similar position to his academy colleagues. But having broken into the team and stayed there before getting injured, the Spaniard is now counted as a senior player.

There have also been reports that Liverpool don’t want to block his path to the first-team with a new signing. With Quansah and Doak, that policy would feel like a risk. But with Bajcetic, he’s earnt that trust.

It’s certainly possible that the young duo can get to that place by the end of the season. Both look set to be given opportunities to do so at the very least. If they don’t show enough though, then Liverpool can’t wait for them indefinitely.