Liverpool coach Pep Lijnders has singled out young midfielder Leighton Clarkson for praise during senior training in the international break.
The Liverpool Echo reported at the end of August that the 17-year-old had trained for the first time with Jurgen Klopp’s side, after signing his first professional contract with the club in July.
Speaking in an interview of Liverpool’s official club website on Thursday, Lijnders admitted the Reds has massively impressed, especially with the way he can control possession and picks passes with ease.
“Leighton Clarkson, who sees with his own eyes the constant runs of Sadio and Mo in behind,” he said.
“He has the capacity to play the passes these type of forwards like to receive, he is the type of No.6 we really like, the one who can dictate play, but dictate with direction, who can speed up the tempo of the positional play, the one who has always time on the ball.”
Clarkson has been ever-present for the club’s under-18’s so far this season, captaining the side twice as they have won all four games, scoring 15 goals.
OPINION
All the 17-year-old can do is keep trying to impress when given the chance in senior training. The international break is a perfect time to do that for the Reds’ youngsters, as the majority of the club’s marquee players are away, meaning they have an extended period to catch the eye of coaches and Klopp – something Clarkson appears to have done. As a holding midfielder for the Reds, Klopp expects his players to be capable of picking up possession in any given time and recycle the ball consistently throughout games. Clarkson looks capable of that if Lijnders’ judgement is anything to go by, and if he continues in that same form, a chance to make the matchday squad is definitely on the cards in cup competition. The most likely outcome of this season is that the youngster will be given the chance to impress in the under-23’s squad, before then being given a bigger opportunity of impressing during pre-season – either way, Clarkson looks destined for the top.
