While Liverpool’s first team won’t report back to the AXA Training Centre for pre-season training until Monday, the Reds’ Under-21s and Under-18s returned to Kirkby this week.
Their earlier return is deliberate with assistant manager Pep Lijnders using the opportunity to scout out the club’s next generation of talents before deciding which of them will be called up to the first team when Jurgen Klopp ’s ranks report for pre-season. This week-long audition is what earned Kaide Gordon his promotion last year, with Conor Bradley, Owen Beck and Tyler Morton also earning maiden senior call-ups.
The Dutchman already earmarked three players he hoped could make the step-up this summer when watching the young Reds in FA Youth Cup after the turn of the year. However, Lijnders might be left disappointed when it comes to one of the trio for the best possible reason.
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"This is just my personal opinion, but I think a coach should be judged much more on the young players he brings through,” he said back in January. "I really believe in our project looking at our academy. For example, I spent yesterday morning at the Academy to speak with the coaches and Alex Inglethorpe.
"We look all the time at the Academy. [On Tuesday] our U18s played against Burnley in the FA Youth Cup, we had Bobby Clark, Luke Chambers, Stefan Bajcetic, they all stand out. I hope they come with us during the pre-season because it is important for them to have a proper pre-season to know exactly how we want to do things."
While Clark and Bajcetic could indeed get that opportunity in the weeks ahead, it’s a different story for Chambers with the defender one of three players missing when Liverpool ’s youth ranks returned for pre-season this week.
That’s because, along with Jarell Quansah and Harvey Davies, the trio were part of the England side that beat Italy to reach the UEFA European Under-19 Championships final on Thursday night.
Quansah, who has been twice an unused substitute for the first-team against Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League and Leicester City in the Carabao Cup, has been an ever-present for the young Lions in Slovakia at centre-back, and headed home a late winner against the Azzurri to set up a final showdown with Israel on Friday. Meanwhile, Chambers has made three appearances after starting against Israel in the group-stages before coming on against Serbia and Italy.
With the eight-team tournament getting underway on June 18, it remains to be seen if the trio will be afforded a break before a belated start to pre-season back at the AXA Training Centre. Regardless, they will be afforded a warm reception when they do report back as Liverpool’s academy watches on proudly.
Should Quansah, Chambers and Davies help England defeat Israel to be crowned U19s European Champions, they will join Conor Coady, Andre Wisdom, Rhian Brewster, Sheyi Ojo and Ovie Ejaria as Reds who tasted international glory in England’s youth ranks in recent years.
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