Liverpool youngster Bobby Adekanye has recovered from his ankle problem and will join up with the first-team squad on Saturday, the first day of pre-season.
The winger arrived from Barcelona in summer last year, but his progress was stunted with fitness issues affecting his development.
When he was fit, Adekanye more than proved his exceptional talent, having drawn the attentions of every major club in Europe during a temporary spell at PSV as a young teenager.
“Bobby is fit and is now in Liverpool. He has already started training with Liverpool,” his father Ademola Adekanye told website AllNigeriaSoccer.
“We want to forget about his injury problems of last season.”
Adekanye is one of a number of talented teenagers hoping to make the push into first-team contention next season, following in Sheyi Ojo’s footsteps. Toni Gomes has been excellent at Academy level, as has Ovie Ejaria, but Adekanye’s ceiling is arguably higher than both as his physical attributes are outstanding already in terms of pace and strength.
For the first time since arriving, Jurgen Klopp will now have a long, uninterrupted time to check out Liverpool’s starlets and decide which ones could actively boost his first-team squad. Without Europa League football, it’s going to be harder for youngsters to play minutes – so their best chance is shining over pre-season.