Liverpool will open door to new faces as US tour decision beckons
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Liverpool are preparing for their US tour and a number of Academy players are expected to be involvedWhile two Liverpool players prepare for the chance to achieve one of the pinnacles of their profession, a group of other Reds are eagerly awaiting the opportunity to take another formative step early in their Anfield careers.Alexis Mac Allister's Argentina and new signing Victor Munoz's Spain will face off in New York this evening in the World Cup final as a bloated tournament - regarded by befuddled FIFA bigwig Gianni Infantino as apparently one of mankind's greatest creations - finally reaches a conclusion.Neither player will be back at the AXA Training Centre for pre-season training until next month at the earliest. And while the remainder of the Reds' World Cup contingent are likely to feature at some point during the three-game US tour, a number of Academy players will board the plane that jets out for Chicago on Monday.It represents a rare chance to further impress new head coach Andoni Iraola in a first-team environment and gauge the next step of their respective careers having been involved in training with the seniors this week.The most prominent name among those vying for a seat is Josh Abe, the 15-year-old who made his breakthrough at under-18 level last season and whose potential meant the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United were sniffing around this summer before the young winger committed his immediate future to Liverpool.Having made his U18s debut last September, Abe late became the youngest player to feature for the Reds in the UEFA Youth League and scored eight times in 10 U18 Premier League North appearances until his campaign was ended prematurely due to a knee injury in March from which he has now sufficiently recovered.Centre-backs Ifeanyi Ndukwe, who arrived from Austria Vienna earlier this month, and Mor Talla Ndiaye, a signing from Senegal in January and on the bench for the senior team towards the end of last season, have also both been involved with Iraola's training sessions, so too 21-year-old midfielder Tommy Pilling.The shortage of forward options means there will be another chance for Kieran Morrison.
The 19-year-old played twice for the first team last term before making his full debut for Northern Ireland and signing a new contract at Liverpool.FOLLOW OUR LIVERPOOL FC FACEBOOK PAGE! All the latest news and analysis from Anfield on the Liverpool Echo's dedicated LFC Facebook pageAnd there should also be more minutes for 18-year-old Will Wright, the striker ending the last Premier League 2 season strongly after long-term injury and then named among the first-team substitutes four times.Academy forwards Keyrol Figueroa - on the bench in the League Cup against Crystal Palace last October - and Josh Sonni-Lambie have also been training with the first team this week.Then there are the players who spent much of last season out on loan but have had previous first-team experience at Liverpool.James McConnell is fully recovered from the shoulder injury suffered during his aborted time at Ajax, Lewis Koumas had a spell at Birmingham City before helping Hull City to promotion while Calum Scanlon is back after a spell with Cardiff City in League One.And there should be an opportunity for Calvin Ramsay, the right-back who has found senior football limited in recent seasons.Academy players not expected to be involved in the tour were involved in friendlies at Kirkby on Saturday, with Joe Bradshaw scoring for the U21s in a 1-1 draw with Vauxhall Motors while the U18s were beaten 2-0 by Crewe Alexandra.The remainder, though, will hope to be on the flight to the United States and make the most of the absence of those senior players who have already been across the Atlantic this summer.
The next generation is knocking.