Liverpool may use a number of young academy players during the upcoming pre-season friendlies.

There is currently a mood of devastation around the Reds following the tragic death of Diogo Jota, leading to uncertainty over what this summer’s fixtures will look like.

But, as ever, there are likely to be some young players in and around the Liverpool first-team ahead of the start of the new campaign.

That will give Arne Slot the chance to take a look at some Liverpool academy youngsters before deciding whether they could feature in his current or future plans.

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For some starlets, that decision has already been made, with Liverpool releasing a number of players upon the end of their contracts in June.

While some may now struggle to find their next club, promising young centre-back Louis Enahoro-Marcus does not appear to have had that problem.

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With Liverpool likely to be in need of several new centre-backs in the coming years, some may have been surprised by the release of Enahoro-Marcus.

The Nigerian-born defender was a regular in the U18s last season and could have been one who Slot took a closer look at in pre-season.

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Nevertheless, the decision was made that Enahoro-Marcus would leave, and according to the Yorkshire Evening Post, he is likely to end up at Leeds United.

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They claim Leeds are ‘close’ to signing the 18-year-old as a replacement for some outgoing youngsters of their own.

The Premier League newcomers are also said to be closing in on Manchester City teenager Jayden Lienou.

Although it seems Enahoro-Marcus was not especially close to even making the breakthrough to the U21s, it is always worth keeping an eye on these youngsters.

Development in football is not linear, and although Liverpool did not see fit to hand Enahoro-Marcus a professional contract, Leeds clearly rate him.

The Whites have a good record in promoting players through the academy, with Archie Gray the latest notable example.

That they have seen enough to hand Enahoro-Marcus a spot in their youth team suggests he has more than a bit about him.

Remember the name, his exit may just come back to haunt Liverpool in the future.
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