The Three Liverpool Academy Stars Next In Line To Make Their First Team Breakthrough

Content Editor

4 years ago

Tags: Jake Cain, Joe Hardy, Leighton Clarkson, Liverpool

Liverpool youngsters made a huge impression by beating Shrewsbury Town in the FA Cup replay on Tuesday.

The likes of Neco Williams, Ki-Jana Hoever, Sepp van den Berg, Harvey Elliott and Curtis Jones are players who have come to prominence in recent months.

However, there were a few more lesser-known faces on show who could well be the next in line to make their first-team breakthrough.

Press the “next page” as we look at three academy graduates who could be the next players ready to make the step up

Jake Cain

The 18-year-old has been impressing in the Under 18s this season, scoring goals and assists for fun, and he brought that confidence to his first senior appearance against Shrewsbury.

Cain drifted in and out of the game, but as the match wore on, he was clearly growing in belief, finding spaces in between the lines, as well as being very neat and tidy in possession with close control and a good passing range.

Joe Hardy

The striker only played ten minutes on Tuesday but he has been seriously impressive at youth level since making the move from Brentford at the start of the month.

Hardy has already performed well for Under 23s by scoring twice in the 5-0 win over Southampton in the Premier League 2 fixture last month. He has been prolific in front of goal at youth level, but with the player already 21 years of age, he will need to translate that sort of scoring record in the senior ranks if he is going to make the breakthrough.

Leighton Clarkson

Unlike Cain and Hardy, Clarkson had already made his senior debut as a substitute in the 5-0 defeat to Aston Villa in the Carabao Cup quarter-final back in December.

The 18-year-old, however, looked determined to make his second experience at the top level a more successful one. The holding midfielder played well in the middle of the park, and although it’s clear that he will need to baulk up to make it at the top level, it didn’t show against Shrewsbury.

Clarkson was brought up to Melwood earlier this season, with Jurgen Klopp and his coaching team very impressed by what they saw. It is clear to see why.