Liverpool raised some eyebrows over the summer as they shipped out a number of promising young players.
The academy had become a key part of the club once again over recent years, with Jurgen Klopp fully utilising the youngsters at his disposal.
And while Arne Slot also comes with a reputation for developing talented prospects, the Dutchman had a little bit of a clear out of the youth teams.
According to former Liverpool player Steve McManaman, who reportedly acts as an advisor to the academy, Slot told coaches that he was happy for youngsters to leave either on-loan or permanently.
After a dozen or so did end up going, those that are left may now feel that they are a little closer to the first-team squad than they were last season.
Tom Hill may get surprise first-team chance
It wasn’t as though Slot simply took a knife to the U18s and U21s and got rid of all the talent within those teams. Far from it. But if young players weren’t moved on this summer then it really suggests three things.
Firstly, it could be that they are still not ready for men’s football of any kind and need to develop more in house. Secondly, that Slot has plans for them in the first-team and wanted to keep them around.
Or, lastly, failure to find a move way could unfortunately mean that there is no long-term plan for the player and they simply couldn’t find the right option to leave Liverpool.
It won’t always be initially clear which players fall into which categories. However, we know that Slot likes Trey Nyoni, for example, while a pathway is seemingly being cleared for Amara Nallo as well.
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Both Nyoni and Nallo were notable inclusions in Liverpool’s squad list for the Champions League group stage this season, which was released on Wednesday.
Another interesting name in there, and one who many perhaps felt fell into the unfortunate third category, was midfielder Tom Hill.
Hill has been really unlucky over the past few years, picking up injury after injury. But, now 21, perhaps his inclusion in the 25-man ‘List A’ alongside all of Liverpool’s biggest stars is a sign of things to come.
Liverpool had to include eight ‘homegrown’ players in the squad, but Slot did still have other options to pick from. Maybe Hill’s time could finally come.
Who is Tom Hill?
Hill has already made his senior Liverpool debut. He was one of the youngsters picked to play in the Reds’ Carabao Cup match against Aston Villa while the senior team played in the Club World Cup in 2019.
The 21-year-old captained Barry Lewtas’ U21 team last season, with Lewtas hailing Hill as having a ‘brilliant’ mentality to bounce back from several nasty injuries.
Having been with Liverpool since under six level and having a dad who is a season ticket holder on the Kop, Hill will be desperate to make it at his boyhood club.
With midfielders such as Stefan Bajcetic and Bobby Clark having left this summer, it’s easy to see why Hill is now a step or two closer to the first-team.
It still looks like a long shot for the youngster, but perhaps Slot has just seen something which has caught his eye here. Don’t write him off just yet.
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