GOOD NEWS: Arne Slot can unleash Thiago Alcantara replacement Liverpool signed three years ago

Arne Slot can unleash Thiago Alcantara replacement Liverpool signed three years ago

Several Liverpool youngsters are threatening to make the breakthrough under new head coach Arne Slot

New Liverpool head coach Arne Slot

Liverpool are eyeing a move for Lille defender Leny Yoro in the summer transfer window.

But the club recognise the seriousness of Real Madrid’s interest in the 18-year-old, with the Spanish giants currently clear favourites to sign him this summer.

Nevertheless, Liverpool interest in a young talent such as Yoro signals the club’s clear plan in building for the future under Arne Slot, and the Dutchman will arrive at Anfield to find a number of talented youngsters already within his ranks.

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Ian Doyle: Liverpool have been fortunate in recent seasons that when opportunity has come knocking for their youngsters in the first team, they have usually delivered.

This season, both Jarell Quansah and Conor Bradley answered the call, while the previous year it was Stefan Bajcetic. Before then, Harvey Elliott, Curtis Jones, Neco Williams and, going further back, Trent Alexander-Arnold have all grasped the chance to not only aid the senior team but also bolster their prospects of a career at the top level.

It says much about the injury problems that afflicted Liverpool this season that a total of nine Academy graduates made a first-team debut this season. However, it’s a player who made his first Reds outing approaching two years ago that will surely be the breakthrough star next term.

Indeed, if it wasn’t for his own fitness issues Bobby Clark would almost certainly have cemented his place in the senior squad permanently during the recent campaign. Clark missed more than four months at the start of the season along with the closing weeks, while in between he made the matchday squad 23 times.

Highlights were his cameo from the bench in the FA Cup win at Arsenal, a first Premier League start at Nottingham Forest, a first assist in the FA Cup against Southampton and a debut goal in the Europa League romp over Sparta Prague.

Having only turned 19 in February, Clark is still very much in formative stage of his career. Few, though, would be surprised if he is a regular in and around the Liverpool first team next season. He really is that good.

Theo Squires: Were it not for his season being bookended by injury, we’d probably already be talking about Bobby Clark in the same fashion as Jarell Quansah and Conor Bradley. Jurgen Klopp already considered him a fully-fledged first team player, even if we have only had a glimpse of his talent for the Liverpool first team so far.

The midfielder had to wait until the FA Cup trip to Arsenal to make his first senior outing of the campaign, and was limited to just 12 appearances last season because of injury. Yet he’d still end up going on to record his first goal, first assist, first Premier League start, European debut, and maiden winner’s medal in a breakthrough season to remember. This is just the beginning.

Only 19, it was unfortunate for Clark that injury denied him the opportunity to feature in the Europa League group-stages or early rounds of the League Cup. But when back fit, he certainly made up for lost time and caught the eye against Chelsea at Wembley to help Liverpool lift the League Cup. Next season, he will inevitably take those next steps.