Top 10 Liverpool youth prospects

Oluwaseyi Ojo, midfielder/forward, 16-years old

A product of MK Dons’ academy, Oluwaseyi “Seyi“ Ojo was held in such a high regard that he was training with their U18 team at the age of 14. That’s when Chelsea’s interest in him was made public but Liverpool managed to nip in and get him to sign – although fee wasn’t disclosed, BBC speculated that it was around one million pounds. Even though he was initially playing with U16, he occasionally played for U18’s and soon became a permanent fixture in U18 side. What’s so interesting about this kid? Well, the first thing you notice about him is his physique – he is not particularly tall (and frequently changes haircuts) but is blessed with strength and pace, so he can shield the ball, cover a lot of ground quickly or easily brush people off him when he makes his runs down the wing. Then you notice his technique, the way he controls the ball and drags it forward past people without fear or remorse and that he has a hammer of a left foot. Although he’s originally a left winger, he has been used in multitude of positions (which has become a common practice with young players in order to widen their spectrum of abilities and teach them to understand various roles better), so he’s already played as a right winger, an attacking midfielder, as well as a more withdrawn midfielder tasked with recovery and distribution of the ball (he excelled in that role in recent game against Everton’s U18s). Determined and skillful, this lad could be one of the most interesting prospects to emerge out of Liverpool’s youth ranks.

Ryan Kent, winger/forward, 16-years old

This Oldham-born youngster joined Liverpool’s academy at the age of nine and progressed rather quickly through youth ranks, making his debut for U18 team last season, aged 16. He alternated between flanks in his Liverpool career so far, impressing in both. He is very quick, plucky and a very good and very direct dribbler. It is noticeable that he likes to cut inside his marker and into the box to score goals. His character is also one of his strong points as he never lets his opponents take a breath and isn’t fazed when they slide roughly into his ankles. His directness could see him become a real outlet from wide if he makes the grade, not just in terms of goals but also in terms of assists as he has good crossing ability.

Jerome Sinclair, striker, 17-years oldYoung England international is probably the best known name from this list as he has rewritten football history books when he became the youngest player to have ever played for Liverpool, having come on as a substitute in last season’s League Cup clash away to West Bromwich Albion, aged only 16 years and 6 days. WBA was actually the team from whose academy he was snapped up in the summer of 2011 as a part of large intake of best British and Irish talent. The trend of fast promotion of best talents through youth ranks saw him become a part of U18 team the year after his arrival to Liverpool, where he made himself know to broader audience, culminating with his so far only appearance for first team. What’s so special about him? Well, the easiest way to describe Sinclair is to compare him to Daniel Sturridge, current spearhead of Liverpool’s attack. Similar in build and similarly quick and strong, he likes to drift wide in search of space and better position to make his runs at goal or defenders. He is a complete forward who can also shield the ball well and is very agile, so defenders marking him have a tough task predicting which side of them he will move next. His ambidexterity helps him a lot in his quest for goals, as well as in going past defenders, and he’s also an accomplished header of the ball. However, as someone who likes to frequently have the ball at his feet, he can be selfish sometimes and try too hard to make things happen all by himself but it’s common knowledge that majority of talented strikers usually develop that kind of mentality early in their careers and polish it as they mature. Nevertheless, he is an outstanding talent and someone who is both pleasing on the eye and effective, so we should be hearing a lot more about him in the future.

Talent alone, no matter how great it is, is not enough, though, but there is strong belief that a lot of these kids could make it because of guidance they are provided at Kirkby and Melwood. They are not being taught only to be good players but also good and down-to-Earth human beings. Liverpool fans will only expect to see these kids take care of themselves on and off the pitch, put in a lot of hours of hard work and hope that injuries will pass them by. The future of our club is, thankfully, very bright.