Liverpool name 40-man squad for UEFA Youth League with Kaide Gordon to star

Liverpool have named their 40-man squad for this season’s UEFA Youth League, with Harvey Elliott on the list despite his injury and being a full-time first-team player.

The UEFA Youth League will take place this year for the first time since its early curtailment in 2020, with the Reds among 64 sides involved.

Split into the same groups as in the Champions League, Liverpool will take on AC Milan, Porto and Atletico Madrid’s under-19s, with 32 other clubs taking part in the domestic champions path.

Each game will take place on the afternoon of the first team’s clash, with the young Reds taking on Milan at Kirkby on Wednesday, kicking off at 1pm.

Barry Lewtas and Marc Bridge-Wilkinson, under-23s and under-18s managers respectively, will share the dugout, likely to be supported by academy director Alex Inglethorpe.

They could lead an exciting young side in the tournament, with Kaide Gordon among those expected to feature heavily after being named on the 40-man squad list.

Elliott has been registered but was unlikely to play even prior to his ankle injury, but the likes of Billy Koumetio, James Balagizi, Mateusz Musialowski, Conor Bradley, Owen Beck, Tyler Morton and Melkamu Frauendorf stand out as high-profile inclusions.

New signing Bobby Clark is also registered, along with a trio of familiar names in Keyrol Figueroa, Lewis Koumas and Jayden Danns, whose fathers were also Premier League players.

There is no place in the squad for Layton Stewart, who is still recovering from an ACL injury, but midfielder Tom Hill is included having not been in action since knee surgery a year ago.

It remains to be seen who will captain the side, but centre-back Jarell Quansah wore the captain’s armband for Bridge-Wilkinson’s U18s last season.

Striker Fidel O’Rourke and midfielder Luca Stephenson are other candidates, but neither is likely to be a first-choice starter given the competition for places.

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Liverpool’s UEFA Youth League squad

Goalkeepers: Harvey Davies, Fabian Mrozek, Luke Hewitson

Defenders: Billy Koumetio, Jarell Quansah, Lee Jonas, Terence Miles, Stefan Bajcetic, Conor Bradley, Owen Beck, Luke Chambers, Sean Wilson, James Norris, Calum Scanlon, Josh Davidson, Wellity Omoruyi, Keyrol Figueroa

Midfielders: Harvey Elliott, Tyler Morton, Dominic Corness, James Balagizi, Melkamu Frauendorf, Tom Hill, Luca Stephenson, Isaac Mabaya, James McConnell, Lewis Koumas, Kyle Kelly, Nathan Giblin, Michael Laffey

Forwards: Kaide Gordon, Mateusz Musialowski, Max Woltman, Oakley Cannonier, Fidel O’Rourke, Bobby Clark, Iwan Roberts, Harvey Blair, Tommy Pilling, Jayden Danns