Liverpool confident on contract decisions as talks continue over sought after 15-year-old

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It was an entertaining but frustrating campaign for the Academy sides for Liverpool this seasonIf the Liverpool first team has stood accused of being somewhat dull this season, the same cannot be said for the main Academy sides.Goals were very much prevalent at both ends of the pitch during an entertaining but ultimately frustrating campaign for both the under-21 and U18s.It followed a summer of change with long-time Academy coaches Barry Lewtas and Marc Bridge-Wilkinson seeking pastures new as former Wales boss Rob Page and ex-Manchester United youth coach Simon Wiles arrived to take charge of the U21s and U18s respectively.For the second successive season, Liverpool saw their Premier League 2 season ended at the first play-off hurdle when they were beaten on penalties by Crystal Palace after a 3-3 draw at Kirkby.Page's side had finished seventh in the final table, largely on the strength of a run of nine wins in 10 games since the turn of the year having lost five of their first nine matches during a difficult start to the campaign.Despite once again being without key centre forwards for large periods, Liverpool scored 49 goals with Kieran Morrison - nominated for the Premier League 2 Player of the Season award - the league's second-top scorer on 14 with Keyrol Figueroa fourth in the rankings with an impressive 12 in 15 appearances. Summer signing Will Wright missed several months after a knee problem while Jayden Danns has been absent for much of the campaign due to a hamstring issue.Page also helmed the U19s in their latest UEFA Youth League tilt, winning in the league stage at Galatasaray and Eintracht Frankfurt and at home to PSV Eindhoven but thrashed by Inter Milan and eventual winners Real Madrid.The Reds finished 16th in the 36-team standings then lost 2-1 at MSK Szilina in the round of 16 in front of more than 10,000 supporters in Slovakia.Of course, while results are important the ultimate barometer of success for the Academy is providing a pathway for players into the first team.Morrison's progress was rewarded with outings in the League Cup and FA Cup, while centre-back Wellity Lucky was also afforded a debut and Gordon, Amara Nallo and Trent Kone-Doherty - who departed in the January transfer window - had minutes.And regular appearances in training with the first team opened the way recently for both Wright and Mor Talla Diaye, an 18-year-old centre-back January arrival from Senegal, to be on the bench for the seniors in recent weeks.FOLLOW OUR LIVERPOOL FC FACEBOOK PAGE!

All the latest news and analysis from Anfield on the Liverpool Echo's dedicated LFC Facebook page"It's incredible for them, even when they are just training with the first team," says Page. The issue, though, is while Liverpool boasted the second-best attack behind first-placed Manchester City, they also had the worst defence, with 70 goals both shipped and scored.Small wonder, then, they ended up finishing eighth in a 14-team league having threatened a higher placing before losing six of their last seven games."I think that has been our Achilles heel, hasn't it?" says Wiles.

We just keep working hard, finding different ways to keep these lads developing."Josh Sonni-Lambie was the standout for the U18s with the 18-year-old centre forward nominated for the U18 Premier League Player of the Season award after netting 21 goals in all competitions and having a first taste of U21 football.There were notable achievements for Luca Eden, who in November became the first 14-year-old to represent the U18s when coming off the bench against Manchester United, and highly-rated Joshua Abe, who at 15 was the youngest to play for Liverpool in the UEFA Youth League in the loss to MSK Zilina.Abe netted eight goals in 10 U18 Premier League outings until an injury when on international duty curtailed his season. With a number of high-profile suitors, talks are ongoing to ensure the teenager remains at the club for the new campaign.Liverpool went out in the group stage of the U18 Premier League Cup while interest in the FA Youth Cup ended at the first hurdle for the second successive season when they were disappointingly beaten 3-2 at home by Charlton Athletic.