In the past few months, Liverpool FC has seen an impressive batch of youngsters breakthrough into the first team squad and many of them have impressed whilst performing under Kenny Dalglish. The manager has clearly put his faith in his youth prospects as we reach the climax of the 2010/2011 Premier League season and this gamble has paid off with the team reaping the benefits of a world-class youth system.
It is a breath of fresh air for Liverpool fans to see a number of younger players given a chance in the first team and it is a massive bonus to see the young lads performing to an excellent standard. The club and its fans haven’t seen a youngster become a mainstay in the first team since the days of a fresh-faced Steven Gerrard and with our captain turning 31 in just over a month’s time it would be an understatement to say that Liverpool FC are well overdue one or two players to come off the production line and become a first team regular.
In recent times we have seen home-grown talent such as Martin Kelly, John Flanagan, Jack Robinson and Jay Spearing take their place in Liverpool’s first team and put in the type of performance that excites fans and gives us a huge indication that the future is bright for Liverpool. There are other players in and amongst the squad, some being out on loan, who could easily be involved in the future. Players such as Jonjo Shelvey, Dani Pacheco, Danny Wilson, Suso, Raheem Sterling and Conor Coady could all make their own individual impact on Liverpool’s first team squad in months or even years to come.
It is well known that to make it through the ranks of a Premier League club, especially one of Liverpool’s stature, is an arduous task. The big question is though; who is good enough to make the grade at one of the biggest clubs in world football?
Martin Kelly – The Whiston-born full-back has arguably been the most impressive out of all the young players we have seen this season. His aggressive style of defending and his impressive, attacking play enabled him to make the right-back spot his own until an unfortunate hamstring injury against West Ham halted his progress. Setbacks like this are part and parcel of a footballer’s career and Kelly will be given a chance to show the strength of his character when he returns. I fully expect Martin Kelly to become a major part of Liverpool’s squad for next season and for many years to come.
John Flanagan – 17-year old ‘Flanno’ has made only three performances in the Liverpool first team but has already shown signs of an outstanding right-back. The fact that the young lad was getting stuck in on the likes of Yaya Toure and Nigel De Jong on his professional debut showed just what sort of prospect he is. He is not scared to throw himself in for a tackle and his distribution from right-back has been excellent since he burst onto the scene. Just like Kelly, Flanagan will be there or thereabouts next season when it comes to the first team next season.
Jack Robinson – Liverpool FC’s youngest ever player. It’s a title I am sure he will be proud of but it will all go to waste if he doesn’t become a first team regular. After his record-breaking cameo appearance against Hull on the last game of last season it was almost a year before we seen the left-back again. However, his excellent performance keeping Theo Walcott quiet against Arsenal earned him a lot of praise. Jack will be like John Flanagan, in an around the first team for a few years yet although a few loan deals are probably inevitable if first team football becomes a struggle for the youngster.
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Benitez didn’t sign Wilson, the club did.
why is everybody not mentioning andre wisdom adam morgan,mike ngoo and toni silva
I think the final 3 you have mentioned will be the most important 3 for the future of the club (apart from Kelly who’s already made the breakthrough)
Sterling’s pace and delivery serves perfectly for Carroll. Suso’s creativity from the middle of the pitch gives us a playmaker we dont currently have. And Coady’s grit, determination and passing gives us a physical presence in defensive midfield.
These are 3 areas our squad is currently lacking
Spearing I feel may go on to be our John O’Shea. Good player, going to give 100%, but maybe just falling short of a Liverpool first teamer.
Shelvey and Wilson, I feel may be here for a couple of years without first team football and will then leave. They will both be good players, but don’t know if they;ll be good enough. I hope I’m wrong.
As good as Robinson and Flanagan have played, I think it’s too early to say how good they’ll be. I think they’d be good squad players, but don’t think they will be a mainstay in the Liverpool first team for the next 10 years whereas I think Kelly will be, eventually at Centre Back.
You’ve also not mentioned Daniel Ayala or Andre Wisdom who both have immense talent. In Ayala I see a bit of Hyypia and in Wisdom a bit of Vidic.
Hopefully we can get Tom Ince to sign another deal because he could be another useful player on the left wing.
Finally, up front, we have Adam Morgan whose knack of being in the right place at the right time, with a lethal finish, means we may just have a young Robbie Fowler on our hands
Talent is their. It just depends on how we nurture them.
The benefit is that we will no longer have to spend 3-5mil on 5 squad players to boost the squad. We will be able to pay £20mil for 1 player who will make a bigger difference to the side.
Very encouraging.
kelly will be englands right back, the next four first team or first team squad, raheem stiring is a future world beater (nailed on certainty)suso has gone backwards mosty due to being played in the wtong position, the great talent not mentioned is toni silva. the others are in with a good chance of making it too.
Agree with Silva. This Portugese kid is really awesome and plays the right wing with guile and substance!
I think next season will see us fielding as many as 6 lads who have come through the Academy.
Flano, Robo and Kelly could in some games be 3 out of 4 at the back with Carra in there to steady things. I’d deffo try it in the Carling Cup or Europe if we qualify.
Spearing and Gerrard making up the other two from the Academy of course.
I think az is spot with his assessment of Jonjo and Wilson. Early days for them yet but comparing them to the other lads who’ve come through the academy I just don’t think they’re any better.
I wonder what happened to Adam Pepper? I used to watch him on the LFC TV channel and he looked excellent.
But lets face it, we’ve been in this position before with youngsters and we’ve been disappointed.
The writer of this article is clearly favouring the British guys with the exception of Dani Pacheco and Suso. Do you not know about Peter Gulacsi, Chris Mavinga, Daniel Ayala and Kristzian Adorjan or did you just decide to leave them out?
Hi Eric,
thanks for the feedback, I make sure to listen and respond to all feedback I receive for every article.
In response to your comment, I haven’t favoured British players so to speak I have specifically mentioned them as I feel as though the majority of Liverpool fans would like to see British and, in particular, Merseyside lads coming through the ranks. I may be wrong! Gulacsi, Mavinga, Ayala and Adorjan all have a chance to make it don’t get me wrong but I felt as though the ten players I have used in this article are the ten players most likely to be Liverpool first teamers in the futures. Don’t forget, these articles are opinion articles and all opinions are welcome!
Elliott
to a certain degree i do think Eric has a point but there isn’t much foreign talent in our team that can cope in the premier leage apart from SUSO, ADORJAN and maybe MAVINGA.
And i don’t think we will give the likes of Gulacsi a chance especially when we got great british goalkeepers like martin hansen coming up
I don’t believe Martin Hansen is British, he’s Danish.
@King Kenny, it just goes to show that a lot of Liverpool fans are blind to the fact that foreign talent is just as good. Even though you seem to be agreeing with Eric you have conveniently forgotten that Martin Hansen is in fact Danish.
I just hope this new trend of Liverpool fans being so strongly pro-British youth players doesn’t turn into a type of xenophobia. There are plenty on this list who we think would succeed but might fail and then suddenly one of the foreign youngsters that are not mentioned step up and make it to the first team.
The Hungarian kid – ADOREM – Watch him
Adorjan is a magician on the ball, when you next watch him play just count how many telling passes(through balls) he plays, and the way he seems to glide around players on the pitch and find space is just brilliant for a kid who’s 17yrs old. Definitely a bright prospect for the 1st team as a starter in my opinion but for some reason when people talk about youngsters he never gets mentioned.
Agree with Eric, and the writers response, but ‘Pool doesn’t need to buy expensive players with these young guns ripening for action! Don’t forget how the development of Andre Wisdom has come along. He’s in the mold of big Sol Campbell and is a proven leader in the academy and England. I hated losing Dalle Valle and Nemeth, but they both don’t come close to Adam Morgan’s skills (Fowler-esque). Sterling and Ince are quick wingers (if Ince stays) and with Michael Ngoo could be a viable option due to his size. We have a good system with Borello and Sequera coaching, we just need to bring them up…By the way, I’m unimpressed with Jonjo (soft and lacks massive confidence) and suprised he passed DaniP in the pecking order!!!
I see 6 out of the 10 making consistent 1st team players. Kelly, Flanagan, Robinson, Coady, Suso, and Spearing. The rest are too mediocre, and Sterling has potential, but he has yet to play with anyone over 21. Coady holds so much promise it’s scary, and Kelly is an absolute keeper. Flanagan and Robinson, given another year of being role players in the 1st team will be ready to take over in 2 yrs time. Wow what a future! And we’ll still have Reina, Carroll, Suarez, Gerrard, Meireles, etc. Pacheco is soft, Sterling completely unproven, and Shelvey is slow, slow of mind, and a sheep. YNWA
2017 player…
…………….gulasci…………….
flano…..kelly……..wilson……robo
…………….coady………………
…jonjo……spearing(c)……raheem..
………..susso….pacheco…………
list of sub player:
Phil jones
bojan kirkic
romelu lukaku
maroi gotze
eriksen
rb..??
lb..??
GK..??
cd..??
md..??
manager : stevan gerrard
team coach : jamie charagher
G.K coach : Pepe Reina
player value…
( under 100 m.p >> if we get now )and maybe will give us EPL title and CL no 6 and 7 title… lets think about it..
( more 5 years, this player will give us 150-200 m.p )- 2 times cost…
now must fight with…
MU >> macheda-hernandez (1 top striker are proved)
chelsea >> strurige-??? <>
arsenal >> 50% young player will play..
MC >> balotelli
spurs >> dont worry.. this team are for 2-3 year
only……….
liverpool >> .. susso..pacheco..raheem – gloryy..