LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, February 22, 2020: Liverpool's Tom Hill during the Under-18 FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Manchester City FC at the Liverpool Academy. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

Rising young star Liverpool have ‘high hopes’ for rewarded with long-term deal

Liverpool have handed a new long-term deal to under-18s midfielder Tom Hill, who made giant leaps in his development last season.

Hill was a standout performer for the Reds last season as a first-year scholar with a clinical touch in front of goal seeing him settle behind only Layton Stewart and Curtis Jones in the goalscoring charts.

His progression within the academy saw him earn his Liverpool debut as a member of a young starting XI at Aston Villa in the League Cup fifth round last season.

Hill’s rise was first rewarded with his first progressional contract at the start of the year and after turning 18 this week, the club has tied the exciting prospect up to a “longer-term deal.”

It comes as a welcome boost and show of faith for Hill who saw what was set to be another breakout season cruelly ended by an anterior cruciate ligament injury sustained during training.

The 18-year-old underwent surgery in September and is expected to be out of action for the majority of the 2020/21 season and is currently undergoing his rehabilitation programme at Kirkby.

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, February 22, 2020: Liverpool's Tom Hill celebrates after scoring his side's first goal during the Under-18 FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Manchester City FC at the Liverpool Academy. Liverpool lost 2-4. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

The young midfielder was expected to don the captain’s armband for Marc Bridge-Wilkinson’s under-18s side having assumed the duties throughout pre-season while also plying his trade with the under-23s.

The box-to-box midfielder with an eye for a pass has earned high praise from his former manager, now U23s boss, Barry Lewtas and club legend Jamie Carragher in recent months.

“He’s very coachable, his attitude is spot on and his levels are good,” Lewtas told Goal back in May.

“He earned his place in the team. Credit to him, every challenge that’s been put down in front of him he’s risen to.

“He’s very good out of possession, he is intelligent and understands that part of the game and how important it is. As a coach, you can trust him in those situations.”

And Carragher name-checked Hill along with James Norris and Stewart as rising players the club has “high hopes for,” where his new deal will provide him with plenty of time to show his potential and develop further.

It’s the latest deal for members of the academy as Liverpool look to tie down their young talent, following on from Remi Savage, Fidel O’Rourke, James Norris, James Balagizi and Conor Bradley all signing their first professional deals, while Abdi Sharif extended his deal earlier in the summer.