Liverpool under-21 starlet Layton Stewart has singled out two of the Reds’ senior players for praise, describing them as ‘a big help’ to him in difficult moments.
The 20-year-old suffered a cruciate ligament injury in March 2021 which sidelined him for several months and understandably proved very challenging to overcome, both physically and mentally.
In an interview with GOAL‘s Neil Jones, the youngster has namechecked two men in Jurgen Klopp’s squad for the support they gave him during the recovery process.
Stewart revealed: “Ox [Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain] was a big help. He had the same injury, and when he found out what I’d done he came over and was always talking to me, making sure I was alright and making sure I was doing my work.
“Joe Gomez was the same, really good. I’ll never forget that, because it meant a lot to a young player.”
Both of those first-team players have endured major setbacks of their own at Liverpool, with Ox ruled out for a full year after a serious knee injury in April 2018 and the 25-year-old defender suffering the same problem in November 2020.
Therefore, both were able to empathise with Stewart after his cruciate nightmare, and it shows the class of the two England internationals that they made time to help an up-and-coming youngster through what must’ve been an incredibly difficult period.
Ox and Gomez have subsequently found it challenging to regain their places in the first XI on a regular basis – they’ve only started 18 league matches combined this season (WhoScored) – but for now, the young striker has succeeded in putting his long-term injury behind him.
The 20-year-old has struck 18 goals in just 20 appearances during the current campaign at academy level (GOAL) and made his senior Liverpool debut five months ago, along with earning praise from the legendary Robbie Fowler.
Even if Ox never features for the Reds again before his contract expires in June, he and his teammate can feel very proud of the mark they’ve made on the development of a brilliant young talent in Stewart at a time when he was most in need of support.