Liverpool U21s drop strong hint that Arne Slot has picked two youngsters to play against West Ham

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Liverpool face their second game in five days on Wednesday as the Carabao Cup gets underway.

Last season proved a memorable one for the Reds in one of their favourite competitions, as they beat Chelsea in a Wembley final back in Februrary.

It proved to be Jurgen Klopp’s final trophy as Liverpool manager and the iconic German has even hailed it as one of his best memories in charge of the Reds.

The reason why lifting the trophy for the ninth time in Liverpool’s history was so special was because of the amount of players who featured from the Liverpool academy.

With so many first-teamers injured on the day of the final, Klopp had to improvise. The likes of Jarell Quansah, Bobby Clark, James McConnell and Jayden Danns all ended up with significant time on the pitch.

And as Arne Slot prepares to continue Liverpool’s fine Carabao Cup tradition, it looks like the Dutch coach is planning to get more youngsters involved for Wednesday’s third round clash with West Ham.

Trey Nyoni and Tyler Morton set for senior inclusion

Slot has some big decisions to make for his line-up against West Ham. With another Premier League game coming in three days’ time, he can’t afford to go too strong.

However, there is also a danger in rotating so much as well. Slot needs to get the balance just right.

Up until now, it has been reported that Slot is set to make at least five changes to his starting XI against West Ham.

With Wataru Endo and Curtis Jones reportedly ready to make their first starts of the season, there is still one spot open to fill in midfield.

READ MORE: Liverpool’s predicted XI vs West Ham as Arne Slot makes nine changes

And judging by Liverpool U21s team sheet for their EFL Trophy match away at Harrogate Town on Tuesday, either Trey Nyoni or Tyler Morton could be in line to fill it.

Neither Nyoni nor Morton were named in Barry Lewtas’ 17-man squad to travel to Yorkshire. As a result, it looks virtually nailed on that the pair will be involved to some degree with the senior side.

Slot name-checked Nyoni during his press conference on Tuesday, while it would likely be a blow to Morton if he were not the player chosen.

It is possible that Slot goes with a third option and keeps either Alexis Mac Allister or Ryan Gravenberch to go against at Anfield. However, with that pair having played so much football, we think either Nyoni or Morton are primed to start.

How did Liverpool U21s get on?

Nyoni has become one of the Liverpool U21s key players this season. Despite being just 17, the former Leicester prospect is clearly too good for that level.

And now almost 22, Morton is also a cut above. The midfielder should really be playing first-team football somwhere.

Nevertheless, Morton featured – and scored – for the U21s on Saturday and Lewtas may have been hoping to use him for the visit to Harrogate.

In the end, Liverpool didn’t really need either of the pair. They came away with a creditable 1-1 against the League Two team, missing out on the possibility of a bonus point in the group by losing the obligatory penalty shootout at the end of the game.

James Norris got Liverpool’s goal, with the likes of Wellity Lucky, Trent Kone-Doherty and Kieran Morrison all featuring.