Three Liverpool youngsters have been fast-tracked into the senior squad ahead of Saturday’s Champions League final, according to a reliable journalist.
Liverpool Echo correspondent James Pearce reported on his personal Twitter account on Monday morning that Curtis Jones, Rafa Camacho and Conor Masterson were all involved in first-team training in an open session five days before the showdown against Real Madrid in Kiev.
Emre Can training with the squad. Youngsters Curtis Jones, Rafa Camacho and Conor Masterson also involved. #LFC
— James Pearce (@JamesPearceEcho) May 21, 2018
Senior midfielder Emre Can has also returned to training after nearly two months out with a back injury.
OPINION
Given that midfield pair Jones and Camacho are aged just 17, centre-back Masterson is 19 and none of the three are yet to even be named in a matchday squad for the first team, never mind get an appearance or make the starting XI, it would represent a major turn-up if they are still in Jurgen Klopp’s thoughts at the end of the week. Liverpool’s bench is nowhere near the quality of the starting XI, with the likes of Dominic Solanke and Alberto Moreno inadequate replacements for the forward stars and Andy Robertson. That means Klopp could pull a rabbit out of the hat with one or two of the players he names on the bench. Much will depend on availabilities and the fitness of players like Can, while further injuries to a squad that has been already hit by the absences of Joel Matip, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Joe Gomez for the remainder of the campaign mean a late call-up for a rookie cannot be ruled out. It is up to Jones, Camacho and Masterson to blow Klopp away in training this week.
