Jurgen Klopp gave a debut to the 84th different player of his Liverpool reign on Wednesday night, with Luke Chambers the 47th from the academy.
Chambers was a regular for the Reds throughout pre-season in 2022, before going on to enjoy a breakthrough on loan at Kilmarnock.
But after his time in Scotland, a muted summer followed as, rather than travel with the first team, he trained and played for Liverpool U21s while awaiting a loan.
A switch to either Bayer Leverkusen or Swansea failed to materialise, though, and it appeared as though the 19-year-old would at least spent the first half of the campaign in the academy.
However, with Joe Gomez, Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold all left out of the squad for the visit of Leicester in the League Cup third round, Chambers got the call-up.
And while it may have been forgotten in the euphoria of Liverpool’s latest 3-1 win – and Dominik Szoboszlai‘s stunning goal – the closing stages brought his debut.
Including those who featured for young sides under Neil Critchley in cup clashes with Aston Villa and Shrewsbury in 2019/20, 47 academy players have made their first appearances for the club since Klopp took over in 2015.
In total, 84 players have debuted for Liverpool in the Klopp era, with Chambers the latest to realise a long-held dream.
“Making my Liverpool debut is a moment I had dreamed of for a long time,” the teenager wrote on Instagram.
“Massively proud moment for myself and my family and also a great win to take us into next round.”
Chambers replaced Kostas Tsimikas with a minute of normal time remaining, only going on to touch the ball three times, per FotMob.
But the milestone was a significant one for a player who joined Liverpool as a six-year-old, with the hope being that he receives more opportunities in the months to come.
A natural left-back, Chambers has also developed his game as a centre-back of late, which could make him particularly useful for Klopp moving forwards.
Progress to the fourth round of the League Cup, where a trip to Bournemouth awaits, could certainly boost his chances of more game time, as may participation in the Europa League and the FA Cup.
For now, though, the youngster can relish a big step in his career, in a sign that he is firmly on Klopp’s radar.
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