Liverpool omit pre-season youngster from UEFA Youth League squad

September 6, 2022
Jack Lusby

Liverpool have submitted a 40-man squad for the upcoming UEFA Youth League, with Mateusz Musialowski among those omitted from the under-19s group.

Alongside the Champions League campaign, the Reds will also take part in the youth equivalent again this season, with UEFA Youth League fixtures mirroring those of the first team.

That brings a trip to Napoli on Wednesday afternoon, hours before kickoff in the Champions League, with Barry Lewtas leading his U19s into Group A.

An exciting squad has been named, including the likes of Bobby Clark, Stefan Bajcetic, Isaac Mabaya, Luke Chambers, Melkamu Frauendorf, Kaide Gordon, Oakley Cannonier, Ben Doak and Trent Kone-Doherty.

New signing Reece Trueman, who swapped Norwich for Liverpool earlier in September, is one of the five goalkeepers.

More intriguing than those called up for clashes with Napoli, Ajax and Rangers, however, are the players who have been omitted – with Musialowski the marquee name.

Up to five over-age players can be included in the squad, provided they were born on or after January 1, 2003 and have been with the club for at least two years.

Liverpool have, therefore, registered Harvey Davies, Jarell Quansah and Dominic Corness within this group along with Max Woltman.

Musialowski is one of four over-age players who has been left out, with question marks emerging over his long-term future at the club despite featuring as a late substitute during the pre-season loss to Strasbourg.

Goalkeeper Fabian Mrozek and the versatile duo of James Norris and Luca Stephenson have also been overlooked despite there being one over-age slot remaining.

With Woltman having since left to join Doncaster on a season-long loan, UEFA rules do stipulate that a replacement can be named, but the fact that fewer than five were originally registered suggests that is unlikely.

For Musialowski, this omission further fuels speculation over his role at Liverpool, having seen first-team opportunities decrease along with minutes at academy level.

There is a chance that the winger – who was subject of interest from clubs in Poland earlier in the summer – still heads out on loan, with windows open in Belgium, the Czech Republic, Greece, Israel, Serbia, Slovakia, Turkey and Ukraine.