Liverpool FC Youth Teams

[RedReet]

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/liverpool-set-lose-yan-dhanda-14660071.amp?__twitter_impression=true

Dhanda off to Swansea possibly. Unclear if he rejected a contract from us or not.

[Fuzzy]

[ame]https://twitter.com/neiljonesgoal/status/996647854667108352[/ame]

Not promising that we're starting to lose our promising youth players because they're not getting any game time... Took us two years to send Wilson somewhere, Woodburn has just sat this whole season on his ass...

[Venton]

All over Twitter (I know, I know..) but his contact is out this month and he's not been offered a new one so I'd say it's pretty likely.

Theres a few other surprises, players who seemed to be raved about- Jordan Williams, Bobby Adekanye, Shamal George, Toni Gomes and Paulo Alves

Oh I don't doubt it, just wondering if it was official. Looks like he left to play football which is a bit of a worry.

[Venton]

https://twitter.com/neiljonesgoal/st...47854667108352

Not promising that we're starting to lose our promising youth players because they're not getting any game time... Took us two years to send Wilson somewhere, Woodburn has just sat this whole season on his ass...

Yes, that can't be a good example to the others. Although if he was setting the world alight surely Woodburn would be playing. Then again we've seen quite a few have a dip in form after getting their first professional contract. Can't think why!

[Pablo]

https://twitter.com/neiljonesgoal/st...47854667108352

Not promising that we're starting to lose our promising youth players because they're not getting any game time... Took us two years to send Wilson somewhere, Woodburn has just sat this whole season on his ass...

I said numerous times that we should have loaned Woodburn and got shot down. It's been a wasted season for him. Hard to see it any other way.

[baitman]

the best of these lads are surely good enough to be playing, but maybe just not playing at LFC right now. once they go full professional they then need a couple of loans, say championship and la liga, then let them either come back and get in the team or if not then their regular game time will get them a decent sell on price.

we really seem to be letting much of this great potential wither. if they are not good enough for us then we still need to be signing them on and loaning them out to improve them, then have the option to either use or sell on, but just to keep releasing seems like we dont know what we're doing.

[The_weatherman]

Maybe they are just not good enough, it's really rare to get someone good enough to force his way through, we have Trent, maybe Brewster and Wilson, but I doubt it both of them will be good enough.

[dww]

Yes, that can't be a good example to the others. Although if he was setting the world alight surely Woodburn would be playing. Then again we've seen quite a few have a dip in form after getting their first professional contract. Can't think why!

I tend to think it is a good sign that a) we have young players in the first team squad and b) have a team good enough to exclude good young talents. It would be a worry if we had obvious holes in the first Xi that could be filled but ambitious young players knowing they are unlikely to get past Mane, Salah and Firmino seems a price we should be willing to pay.

That said I do wish Woodburn had had a couple more cameos towards the end of the season. We do lack depth and it seems odd he didn't get on the pitch when so many of the first team looked knackered in the games preceding Brighton.

Youth development is obviously hard and the physical nature of the PL doesn't help. In the long run though I think the Barcelona/Real Madrid approach of having ~30% of your team having been at the club as teenagers seems like something we should aim to replicate.

[RedReet]

It's slightly worrying (very slight) that so many youngsters are considering their futures elsewhere at the same time Gerrard and a lot of the youth development team have also jumped ship.

Maybe it's a domino effect or maybe there is nothing to it but I wouldn't be too surprised if something surfaces somewhere down the line.

I can understand most cases on an individual basis, if taken in isolation, but it seems like a bit of an exodus and that's a bit peculiar.

[dww]

Who other than Gerrard have left at Youth level?

[RedReet]

Who other than Gerrard have left at Youth level?

He took a few staff with him from what I read, the highest profile probably being Michael Beale.

[RedReet]

Tom Cushaw and Jordan Milsom were the other two he took from the academy apparently.

[red g]

It's slightly worrying (very slight) that so many youngsters are considering their futures elsewhere at the same time Gerrard and a lot of the youth development team have also jumped ship.

Maybe it's a domino effect or maybe there is nothing to it but I wouldn't be too surprised if something surfaces somewhere down the line.

I can understand most cases on an individual basis, if taken in isolation, but it seems like a bit of an exodus and that's a bit peculiar.

I think for 99% of youngsters, if you want to play you go elsewhere. You need a massive amount of luck at a top club no matter how talented. How many times would TTA played this year if CLyne wasn't injured for all of it?

[Fuzzy]

[ame]https://twitter.com/jacklusby_/status/997858828342431749[/ame]

[RedReet]

I think for 99% of youngsters, if you want to play you go elsewhere. You need a massive amount of luck at a top club no matter how talented. How many times would TTA played this year if CLyne wasn't injured for all of it?

Playing 1st team football isn't necessarily better for development though and it's not as if they have to leave permanently to get first team football. And these kids try their best to catch the eye of a big club and it's a dream come true to be signed up, so if their intention is to leave quite young in search for first team football, why not save the hassle and sign for a Championship club in the first place?

Anyway, follow up reports suggest a lot of these players weren't offered contracts (and Camacho still has 1 year left), so bar Brewester, it's not as big a deal as being made out.