Liverpool could be about to unleash young star to…

Liverpool could be about to unleash young star to stand in for Mohamed Salah

The path from youth team football to a professional career is a treacherous one. There are so many factors involved in making the transition, not least luck in terms of fitness and the possibility of first-team opportunities. Talent alone is never enough.

With Liverpool deep into the most densely scheduled season they’ve ever known, directly on the back of a 63-game quadruple bid, it is inevitable some of their young starlets will feature in the Carabao Cup clash with Derby County on Wednesday evening. It could be the perfect chance for some of them to stake a claim for further playing time should the Reds prevail and reach the next round.

Assistant manager Pep Lijnders held the pre-match press conference but remained tight lipped in terms of which youngsters might be involved. However, it did seem clear that some will definitely be taking part in the match. "We have to trust the young talent. They never let us down,” he said, adding: “We are going to see Scousers hopefully. Imagine a Scouser scoring in front of the Kop."

All football supporters love it when their team brings through homegrown talent. Trent Alexander-Arnold is serenaded during games as “the Scouser in our team” by Liverpool fans, while Curtis Jones is not yet 22 years of age but has already made over 80 appearances for the Reds.

However, it may be that a young Scot follows in the footsteps of the likes of Andy Robertson by appearing for the first team this week. Ben Doak, who joined Liverpool from Celtic in the summer, has been making a very strong impression in the UEFA Youth League.

If you’re not familiar with the competition it is effectively a Champions League for under-19 teams, which mirrors the main tournament. Liverpool’s squad topped their group with five wins from six matches and will be in the Round of 16 when the competition resumes in February.

Doak has been a big part of their success, scoring four goals while also providing four assists for his teammates. His efforts include netting the opener and setting up the decisive goal in their 2-1 victory at Napoli, as well as assisting two and scoring the winner when Rangers were beaten 4-3 on their own patch. The former Celtic youth certainly enjoyed his return to Glasgow.

2022/23 is the ninth season of the UEFA Youth League, and only 18 other players have reached four in both the goals and assists columns in a single campaign ( per Transfermarkt ). Not all of those that have achieved this feat have established themselves at the top of the game, but familiar names from the list include Dominic Solanke, Fabio Silva and Xavi Simons.

Even getting four assists at that level is not that easy, and Doak has joined the likes of Harvey Elliott, Karim Adeyemi, Conor Gallagher and Dominik Szoboszlai in doing so. His goal scoring abilities have arguably caught the eye more this season though, not least when he bagged the winning strike in a mini-derby against Everton last month.

It’s obviously foolish to compare him with Mohamed Salah at this point but it’s not as if there aren’t similarities. Predominantly right wingers, both players can pick the ball up in wide areas before dribbling into the box and curling shots into the net. Doak’s goals at Rangers and in the home win over Napoli had an air of the Egyptian king about them, the latter like a simplified version of Salah’s goal of the 2021/22 season against Manchester City.

No pressure, eh? But with Salah one of only two players (along with Virgil van Dijk) to feature in all 20 of Liverpool’s matches this season, the time has come for him to take a break. Doak might not be in the starting XI against Derby but it would be great to see what he can do in Salah’s spot at some point during the match.

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