Liverpool exclude Adrian from UEFA Europa League squad to accommodate hugely promising star – Reports

Liverpool have reportedly excluded Adrian from their UEFA Europa League group-stage squad to accommodate promising winger Ben Doak.

The Reds, who finished fifth in the Premier League last season, have been drawn in Group E of the second-tier continental competition. They take on Ligue 1 club Toulouse, Austrian Bundesliga outfit LASK and Belgian Pro League side Union Saint-Gilloise.

According to This Is Anfield, Liverpool have excluded Adrian from their UEFA Europa League squad owing to two reasons. Primarily, they're keen to provide a handful of minutes to Doak in Europe this season.

Owing to differences between UEFA and Premier League rules, Reds boss Jurgen Klopp made the decision to leave out his third-choice goalkeeper. He could not register Doak as a U21 player in the Europa League. So he decided to include just Alisson Becker and Caoimhin Kelleher as his two first-team goalkeeping options.

Secondly, Liverpool are aware that Adrian could still be utilised in some capacity this season. If either of the aforementioned shot-stoppers get injured, they would be able to include the 36-year-old as a temporary replacement in their UEFA squad.

Adrian, who penned a one-year contract extension earlier this summer, joined the Anfield side on a Bosman move from West Ham United in the summer of 2019. He has made 26 appearances for the Reds, with his last outing coming in the Community Shield in July.

Doak, meanwhile, has popped up as one of the most promising attackers in Klopp's squad over the last season. The 17-year-old wide operator has racked up 73 first-team minutes in six cameo appearances across competitions.

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Glen Johnson on Liverpool's brilliant start to Premier League campaign

Speaking to Betfred, ex-Liverpool defender Glen Johnson shared his two cents on his former team's unbeaten start to the Premier League season:

"I'm sure the fans are delighted with Liverpool's start to the season. Six weeks ago, everybody was feeling negative about their lack of transfer dealings, so fair play to them for starting the season in such an impressive fashion."

Showering praise on the Reds' transfer dealings, Johnson continued:

"They always know what they're doing in regard to transfers. They don't allow themselves to get caught up in the big auctions for players, and at the moment, things are going very well, and their points tally reflects that."

Jurgen Klopp's team, who spent around £145 million to sign four stars this summer, are third in the league table, with 10 points from four games. They will next be in action in the Premier League against Wolverhampton Wanderers on September 16.

The Reds open their UEFA Europa League campaign with a trip to LASK on September 21.