Liverpool confirmed the 33 players who would make the trip to Dubai for their mid-season training camp on Monday, with 13 academy prospects included.
The Reds have already touched down in the UAE, with 28 players involved in the first training session on Tuesday.
They remain without the seven who have been involved at the World Cup with their nations, but have confirmed that Darwin Nunez will join the camp next week, after Uruguay failed to make it past the group stages.
That has offered a number of promising youngsters a big opportunity to impress, in what Klopp has referred to as a second “pre-season,” before the second half of Liverpool’s season gets underway later this month.
Here, we take a look at the 13 academy players who Klopp and his coaching staff will be keeping a close eye on in the next 12 days.
Goalkeepers
Three academy goalkeepers have been included in the travelling party, although all of them have trained regularly with the first team this season.
Harvey Davies has been named on the bench for a number of first team matches this season, and has effectively taken up a role as Liverpool’s fourth choice goalkeeper for this campaign.
That opportunity has arisen because Marcelo Pitaluga has been on loan with Macclesfield, although he too has been training with Klopp’s side in-between matches for his loan club.
The Brazilian is currently sidelined with an ankle injury he sustained during a game last month, with Macclesfield’s most recent update claiming he may not be ready to return to action until the new year. That would suggest he has made the trip to Dubai to continue treatment on the problem, amid the possibility of a loan to a club of a higher level in January.
Nineteen-year-old Fabian Mrozek, another who has gained plenty of experience training alongside Liverpool’s first team stars this season, has also made the trip, with Alisson still involved at the World Cup with Brazil.
Defenders
With the likes of Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold all still at the World Cup, two academy defenders have been included in the squad for the Reds’ mid-season camp.
The first of those is Jarell Quansah, the 19-year-old centre-back who has been a regular for Liverpool’s under-21s this season.
Quansah is yet to make a first-team appearance for the Reds, but was twice an unused substitute for Klopp’s side last season, and against Derby in November.
The absence of Konate and Van Dijk gives Quansah a chance to impress alongside senior centre-backs Joel Matip, Joe Gomez and Nat Phillips.
Luke Chambers who, like Quansah, won the U19 European Championships with England last summer, also makes the trip, having been one of the U21s standout performers this season.
Both Andy Robertson and Kostas Tsimikas are also in Dubai, but Chambers has proven he is comfortable playing at left-back, wing-back or centre-back.
Midfielders
Liverpool have included Naby Keita and Arthur in their squad for the camp, but with both still recovering from long-term injuries, three midfielders have been called up from the academy.
Fans will have become accustomed to seeing Stefan Bajcetic‘s name in squads for first team matches this season, with the Spaniard becoming the club’s youngest-ever Champions League player earlier in the campaign.
Dominic Corness is another who will be aiming to impress in Dubai. The left-footed midfielder has trained with the first-team on a number of occasions this season.
U21s captain Jake Cain also makes the trip, ahead of a possible loan move away from the club in the new year.
Forwards
Having been ruled out since sustaining a knee injury against Arsenal in October, Luis Diaz has returned to training in Dubai. But with the Colombian only just returning to action, Diogo Jota still out, and Darwin Nunez only joining up with the squad next week, five young forwards have been included in the squad.
Ben Doak, who turned 17 last month, went into the break on a high, making his first-team debut in the Carabao Cup win over Derby, before being named on the bench for the Reds’ league clash with Southampton.
Kaide Gordon has also been named on the squad list, having been out of action for 10 months with a pelvic injury. In recent days, academy director Alex Inglethorpe revealed that the 18-year-old is now due for a “big step” as he continues his rehabilitation on the pitch.
U21s trio Melkamu Frauendorf, Bobby Clark and Layton Stewart, all three of whom started against Derby, are also involved.
Twelve of the 13 academy players who have been included were part of the first training session on Tuesday, with Gordon the only one to miss out, as he continues to work towards full fitness.
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