Liverpool’s teenage midfielder Leighton Clarkson was in training with the first team squad on Friday, according to the Liverpool Echo.
The newspaper claims that the Under-18s star was playing alongside the likes of Mohamed Salah, Jordan Henderson and Virgil van Dijk at Melwood.
The teenager has trained with the first team previously and is clearly very highly rated by manager Jurgen Klopp. He was also part of the U-18s side that drew with Napoli on Tuesday afternoon.
OPINION
Reds fans are always keen to see young players come through and make an impact with the first team, and it certainly appears that Clarkson is on his way to doing that. The trajectory is pointing in the right direction at this point, that’s for sure. Klopp had already called him up to first team training before, while ensuring that he continues to play for the U-18s. It’s curious that the German is so high on the youngster, but that he hasn’t fast-tracked him from the U-18s to the Under-23s at this stage. He is only 17 years of age, so perhaps that’s a reason for him continuing in his current age bracket. However, from a technical point of view, Klopp evidently has high hopes for him. Perhaps he’s sensitive that the youngster might not yet be physically ready to play alongside the U-23s on a regular basis. Still, it must be very exciting for the young man to be training alongside some of the best players in world football.
