Five Youngsters Who Benefitted From North American Tour

HAVING come away from the United States and Canada with two draws and a defeat, it’s easy to look at the results from Liverpool’s pre-season tour and wonder if it was a waste of time.

However, with a number of senior Reds barely featuring in the tour due to their involvement in the European Championship, it is worth noting that the teams Liverpool fielded against Toronto, Roma and Tottenham were nowhere near full-strength.

Instead, some of the hottest prospects from our youth and reserve teams got a chance to play for the first team. With that in mind, below are the five Liverpool youngsters who I feel benefitted the most from our North American tour.

Jonjo Shelvey

Jonjo made his mark on the Liverpool first-team last season with a stunning goal against Chelsea and signed a new long-term deal with the club just before our pre-season tour. The 20-year-old featured in all three tour games and he was particularly impressive against Roma, where he was the heart of Liverpool’s midfield. Shelvey has shown enough promise during the Liverpool tour, and in his performances last season, to deserve a chance to be part of the first-team squad. For that reason, I hope Brendan Rodgers decides against loaning Shelvey out to another club and instead gives him playing time at Anfield.

Raheem Sterling

Sterling is one of our most talked youngsters and having watched him play in our tour games, it’s easy to see why. Sterling looked comfortable when he appeared for the first-team last season and the same was true for his performances in the US and Canada. He set up Adam Morgan’s equaliser against Toronto and I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before the 17-year-old gets a Liverpool assist in a competitive fixture.

Daniel Pacheco

Given that he was loaned out to Atletico Madrid last season, who subsequently loaned him out to Rayo Vallecano, if Dani Pacheco had been sold this summer then few Reds fans would have been surprised. With a month of the transfer window remaining, there is still time for a Pacheco transfer to be agreed, but the Spaniard’s performances in pre-season may have convinced Rodgers that Pacheco has a future at Anfield.
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He set up Charlie Adam’s goal against Roma, having earlier created a chance for Suso. He showed good skill against Toronto too, where he was effective on the left wing and got a number of crosses into the box. At 21 years of age, Pacheco is unlikely to be labelled as a youngster for much longer, but there is still time for him to reach his potential.

Suso

Pacheco’s Spanish compatriot won the European Championship with Spain U19s earlier this summer and Liverpool fans will hope that isn’t the last time he wins a trophy in a red shirt. The 18-year-old attacking midfielder was particularly impressive against Toronto, the highlight of his performance coming during the first half when he beat two defenders and forced a save out of goalkeeper Quillan Roberts. Suso showed a lot of skill and technique during our pre-season tour, suggesting that he could develop into a top quality player.

Adam Morgan

Having scored Liverpool’s first goal during pre-season, Reds fans will be hoping that young striker Adam Morgan can become our next Scouse hero. Morgan’s goal against Toronto may have been a simple tap-in, but that has not stopped Robbie Fowler from singing the 18-year-old’s praises. Fowler noted that Morgan was one of the best finishers he has seen for a long time and I’m sure that I’m not alone in hoping that Morgan can go on to prove Fowler right.

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