I love fullbacks who create goals.
Apparently got a hattrick of assists!
I love fullbacks who create goals.
Apparently got a hattrick of assists!
https://talksport.com/football/807141/liverpool-gary-oneil-curtis-jones-rhys-williams-owen-beck
[article]Liverpool’s Under-23 assistant coach Gary O’Neil has dubbed Curtis Jones an ‘unbelievable’ talent following his breakthrough into the Reds’ first-team.
The 19-year-old midfielder made his Premier League debut for the Merseysiders last season and has become an integral member of Jurgen Klopp’s squad.
Jones was arguably one of the best players on the pitch in Liverpool’s 2-1 win over title rivals Tottenham last week, which saw them reclaim top spot.
O’Neil reserved special praise for Jones and also Rhys Williams, who has made nine first-team appearances this season due to the club’s shortage of fit centre-halves.
O’Neil told White and Jordan on talkSPORT: “Curtis Jones is unbelievable, isn’t he? He’s gone into the first-team and made it look so easy.
“He’s been absolutely fantastic. He’s a great kid as well. He still comes down and watches the Under-23s when his schedule allows him. He’s still fantastic with all the boys.
“To see Rhys go up and play centre-half with the injuries they’ve had… centre-half is an extremely difficult position to play when you’re young.
“You see most of the boys in that position are experienced. Rhys has done fantastically well.”
Left-back Owen Beck, 18, could be the next academy star to break into Klopp’s senior set-up, O’Neil believes.
He added: “Owen Beck is an amazing one. He’s a young boy, he’s very small.
“He’s been underdeveloped the whole way through, so he’s always been the smallest in his age group, one of the youngest.
“He’s played every game for us at Under-23 level this season and has done some training sessions with the first-team.
“So to see things like that going on, some of the pleasure the academy staff must get from it, because I know it’s their job to develop players, but some of them go beyond that.
“Some of the staff, they’re there on a Tuesday night working with these kids in the rain when they’re 13.
“People are saying, ‘he’s a bit small’, but these guys are there putting the work in. Now you see the benefits of it.”[/article]
Ha ! I was just thinking the same.Those are all real quality deliveries; looking not too dissimilar to what we're getting from Robbo every week!
Poor loan move. Only played 2 matches for Fleetwood.
Calm down dickhead. He wasn't getting any games on loan and was on the bench all the time. We've simply recalled him as what's the point of him sitting on the bench when he's supposed to be getting experience and game time. You need to take a chill pill mate not everything is gloom and doomSo this is the backup? We're probably so strapped for cash we can't even afford a loan deal. Unless we sell someone, I can't see us getting any one new
[article]Liverpool have already seen Curtis Jones take huge strides forward this season, establishing himself as a vital member of Jurgen Klopp’s squad.
But there are another couple of midfielders hoping 2021 can see them make similar steps forward towards establishing themselves as Liverpool regulars.
As was discussed on the Academy Show podcast, 19-year-olds Leighton Clarkson and Jake Cain, born just over a month apart, are among the likeliest Academy stars to be breakout stars this calendar year as Jones did last.
Nine months or so younger than Jones, both are ready to take the next step in their careers, though after Liverpool drew Manchester United in the FA Cup fourth round, a similar breakout in that competition has been delayed.
Clarkson - nicknamed Philip Lahm, according to The Athletic, because of his tactical understanding, passing intelligence into forward areas - played in the Champions League earlier this season, underlining exactly what Klopp, Pep Lijnders and co think about him.
In that game in Denmark, Clarkson impressed alongside Naby Keita and Takumi Minamino in midfield, showing off his ability to find a pass. No one on the pitch completed more passes than the number six on his senior European debut.
One of the group to have benefited from working under Steven Gerrard when he was U18s boss, Clarkson is known to stay behind after training and practice, putting in the extra yards to improve and impress.
His slight frame and lack of height mean he has to think ahead and be smarter than his opponents, but he has shown signs of being able to do so expertly, leading to the 'Lahm' nickname.
"In Germany, there’s a famous player who played similar to him. You might have to go back a little longer and I don’t want to put pressure on the boy but he reminds me a lot of him," Klopp said after the Midtjylland game.
"He’s just a good footballer, a smart footballer. He’s fast, physically strong. If you see him, his legs are not like a 19-year-old boy’s legs - they are already grown and so I am really happy to give him his opportunity because he deserves it."
Lahm was the German star he was referring to, and Clarkson was the player being described. No pressure then - though the evidence suggests he can handle it.
As for Cain, a left-footed and more foward-thinking midfielder, the steps for progression are remarkably similar to Jones in some ways.
Like Jones, he was tasked with adding more goals to his game over the summer, as the senior man was 12 months prior, and duly did so with some delightful free-kicks early in the season.
Cain produced seven goal contributions in eight Premier League 2 matches in the opening weeks of the season, but has only featured three times for Liverpool's U23s since November 6.
That, though, is only because he has been needed for the first-team bench and training sessions, where he has been impressing amidst plenty of talented competition.
Jones was the last Academy midfielder to establish himself at senior level under Klopp, but he won’t be the last.
If the Toxteth-born player has already saved Liverpool millions, Blackburn-born Clarkson and Wigan-born Cain could see the Reds repeat the trick.[/article]
How does our representation in other national underage teams compare?Judging by England's u17, u18, u19, u20 and u21 squads our future doesn't look that bright.
One player in the U17s and u18s, same guy Jarrel Quansah.
One in the u19s, Layton Stewart.
No one in the u20 squad
Cujo, Williams and Elliot in the U21s.
Can't be compared with our rivals. The squads from u17s to u20s are full of Man U, City and Chelsea players.
We have the most u21 players though.
I don't think we have that many foreign players.How does our representation in other national underage teams compare?