Pep Lijnders has given his firm backing to two Liverpool youngsters who he insists are very much a part of Jurgen Klopp’s first-team squad.
Conor Bradley and Bobby Clark were brought off the bench for the final 15 minutes of the FA Cup win over Arsenal on Sunday, with Alan Shearer hailing their contributions as ‘superb’.
The Reds’ assistant manager addressed the media this afternoon ahead of the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Fulham on Wednesday night, and he dismissed the notion that the young duo are ‘backup’ players at Anfield.
Lijnders stated (via Liverpool Echo): “We always believe in the academy as well. We have young players to fight for prizes and these young players are running and fighting and dreaming. Bradley against a fresh [Gabriel] Martinelli…One v one. These boys, they learn at these moments.
“Bradley and Bobby are not back up. They are a part of our squad; they are made for games like this. Look what happened to Jarell [Quansah], Newcastle with 10 men…he feels our trust after that. Young players need opportunities, not criticism. They feel our trust after that.”
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The primary mission of a football club’s academy is to produce players for the first team, and Liverpool have a rich history in that regard, from Robbie Fowler, Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard through to present-day senior stars Curtis Jones and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
A knee injury to the latter, in addition to the ongoing absences of Andy Robertson and Kostas Tsimikas, means that Bradley is set to play a prominent role for the Reds in their five remaining matches in January, and possibly beyond that.
With the Reds facing three more cup ties in January, Clark could also be given an opportunity to build upon the three senior appearances he’s made for the club so far (Transfermarkt), particularly if we’re winning comfortably in any of those games.
It’s obviously worrying to have so many senior players sidelined, especially in defence. However, as Lijnders justifiably pointed out, Quansah was thrown in at the deep end for his Liverpool debut against Newcastle at the start of the season and has since flourished in Klopp’s team.
It’s also coming up to seven years since the day that Trent was the shock inclusion in our line-up against Manchester United, making his first Premier League start that evening, and he’s done alright for himself ever since.
A combination of circumstance and a player’s innate talent can often be the springboard towards them getting their opportunity to make their mark on the first team. For Bradley in particular, that’s what awaits over the coming weeks. Here’s hoping he can follow in the footsteps of his fellow right-back in that regard.
#Ep98 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: EOTK Insider with Neil Jones🎙️