It’s been a busy month at Anfield thus far. James Milner, Danny Ings, Adam Bogdan, Joe Gomez and Roberto Firmino have all come in, while Brad Jones, Glen Johnson, Steven Gerrard and Iago Aspas have been among those on their way out.
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However, two other players were also released this month – academy prospects Jordan Lussey and Marc Pelosi. We’d forgive you for not noticing, but these were both long-serving members of our youth team who have been on the books for many years without ever making a senior appearance.
Thankfully, our academy has tended to do well with producing young talent – Raheem Sterling and Jordon Ibe instantly spring to mind for example. But this got us thinking about what other talent we’ve currently got our disposal. After all, much of it we’ll never get to see play for the senior side.
In the list below, we profile our most promising academy players and discuss their chances of progressing further through the ranks. Take a look and let us know who you want to see given us a chance next season.
Cameron Brannagan
A 19-year-old attacking midfielder who has already been with the Reds for a decade. He’s very good in possession and can also produce some spectacular goals, as he’s done for the Under-21s. He was an unused substitute for the first-team on a couple of occasions last season and also impressed in the Anfield Charity match.
First-team chances: 4/10 – Deserves a chance in pre-season but ultimately lacks that extra bit of quality.
Sergi Canos
A product of the Barcelona youth team who swapped Spain for Merseyside in 2013. He’s had a very strong twelve months with the reserves and was allowed to train with the senior side at times last season. This attacking player is still only 18 and should become one of the star performers for our Under-21s next season, if all goes to plan.
First-team chances: 6/10 – Could get a couple of games in the early rounds of the cup next season. Exciting talent.
Pedro Chirivella
Another Spanish prodigy who has been tipped for big things. A highly promising midfielder, his control and technique have been described as exceptional. He only turned 18 last month so is probably still a couple of years away from breaking into the first-team but he’s definitely going to be a name to look out for in the future.
First-team chances: 7/10 – There’s a lot of expectation here, let’s hope he’s able to deliver on his vast potential.
Jack Dunn
The striker will be 21 in November and his chances of making a breakthrough for the first-team are probably running out. He did have a successful loan spell at Cheltenham Town earlier this year, scoring three goals in five appearances, while he finished the campaign with League Two winners Burton Albion.
First-team chances: 2/10 – League Two is probably about the right level for him, unfortunately.
Lloyd Jones
The 19-year-old defender also enjoyed a couple of loan spells last season – one at Cheltenham and one at Accrington Stanley, making 17 appearances in total and scoring his first professional goal. He’s an England youth team international but is not rated as highly as Tiago Ilori or Joe Gomez.
First-team chances: 3/10 – There are surely too many players ahead of him in the pecking order.
Ryan Kent
Returned from injury to enjoy a fine end to our season with the reserves. The 18-year-old midfielder has a lot of competition, even among the academy players, to find an opportunity to shine. But he’s shown enough over the last couple of months to suggest that he’ll be getting more chances over the next twelve months.
First-team chances: 4/10 – A good player, destined for a solid career in the football league.
Sheyi Ojo
An excellent attacking player. He’s only recently turned 18 and he already looks the real deal. He impressed while on loan with Wigan in the Championship last season and will now be hoping to make his mark on the Liverpool senior side. He’s already made the bench on a couple of occasions and surely there’s plenty more to come.
First-team chances: 9/10 – Should be loaned out to a lesser Premier League side next season. He should be great!
Jordan Rossiter
This guy reminds us a lot of Jay Spearing – small in stature but tenacious enough to make the grade at a decent level as a battling midfield dynamo. Like Spearing, he might not quite be of Premier League calibre, but his goal for us on debut last year – in the League Cup against Middlesbrough – suggests good things are to come.
First-team chances: 5/10 – Not quite big enough and powerful enough for a prolonged Liverpool stay.
Jerome Sinclair
Two-and-a-half years on from making his debut in the League Cup, Sinclair made his Premier League bow last season. He’s scored goals for fun at youth team level but he faces a real challenge to force his way into Brendan Rodgers’ plans, especially following the arrivals of Danny Ings and Divock Origi, who returns from his loan.
First-team chances: 4/10 – A talented player who sadly might never deliver on his immense potential.
Brad Smith
This 21-year-old left-back might be an Australian international but he’s miles from the Liverpool first-team. We might see him get the odd game in pre-season, due to our lack of strength in depth in the position, but unless he does something very special soon we won’t ever see him grace the Premier League.
First-team chances: 3/10 – Not quite good enough considering his age and potential ability
Kevin Stewart
The 21-year-old was only signed last summer, being picked up from Tottenham Hotspur. He’s since been on loan to Cheltenham and Burton and done okay, playing a handful of games and scoring a couple of goals. However, he doesn’t look to be at the necessary level in this stage of his development.
First-team chances: 4/10 – A strange signing who’s unlikely to ever justify his addition to our squad
Joao Carlos Teixeira
A wonderful talent who has sadly been held back by injuries. He’s already made his Premier League debut and he did extremely well with Brighton in the Championship last season, where his performances did enough to earn him our Academy Player of the Year award. The coaches have faith in him but he needs to deliver soon.
First-team chances: 6/10 – He’s running out of time to prove himself and his latest injury won’t have helped
Daniel Trickett-Smith
He turns 20 this year. A product of Crewe’s youth academy, this attacking midfielder is another player that’s scored plenty of goals at youth team level but might lack the size and strength to make it at the top level. Smaller players do stand a chance of course, but they have to be really exception. Daniel may just fall short.
First-team chances: 4/10 – A good player but not quite made for the top level.
Lawrence Vigouroux
Like Stewart, he arrived from Spurs last summer. Following the announcement of Ward’s loan deal, he should be our third choice keeper next season. He recently signed a new contract so is obviously rated fairly highly, it’s just always going to be difficult as a young keeper to get opportunities at a club like Liverpool.
First-team chances: 2/10 – It’s difficult to see him overtaking Mignolet or Bogdan any time soon.
Danny Ward
Signed a new long term deal this week and has since been sent out on loan for experience, joining Aberdeen in Scotland. His future could well depend on how he does over the next twelve months. The new deal means we’ll be able to sell him for a profit either way. He’ll have to do something special to earn a first-team role.
First-team chances: 3/10 – Stands a better chance than his teammate but it still seems unlikely.
Jordan Williams
Spent time with Notts County in League One last season and if he can secure a similar loan spell next season then he should be given more of a chance to show what he can do. He did well against Middlesbrough in the League Cup last year, while his versatility as a defender or a midfielder could help his future prospects.
First-team chances: 5/10 – At 19 he should be a little further along that he is now, but he has a chance.
Harry Wilson
He might only have turned 18 in March but he’s already a full Welsh international. He runs the show for the reserves, along with Ojo and Sinclair, and is surely overdue a shot at the first-team. If he can continue the rapid rate of development that he’s shown over the last few years then he should do well.
First-team chances: 8/10 – Excellent player who now needs the chance to show what he can do at senior level.
Samed Yesil
The German was one of Brendan Rodgers’ first signings as Liverpool manager. His first couple of years at the club have been disrupted by a couple of major injuries, so he’s not as far along in his development as he might otherwise have been. He scored a couple of goals towards the end of last season to renew his coaches faith.
First-team chances: 6/10 – Definitely deserves a chance, with a loan deal a real possibility.
