'Sunday could be a real chance for youngsters to impress Jürgen'
Sunday's FA Cup tie with Plymouth Argyle represents another 'great opportunity' for Liverpool's youngsters to prove to Jürgen Klopp that they belong at first-team level.
That is the view of Hugh McAuley, formerly a youth coach at the Reds’ Academy, who has urged the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ben Woodburn and Ovie Ejaria to build on the promising starts they have made in senior football should Klopp opt to play them this weekend.
That trio have impressed whenever given a chance in the first team this season - with Woodburn, of course, becoming the club’s youngest ever goalscorer in the EFL Cup quarter-final win over Leeds United in November.
And McAuley - a man who helped nurture Steven Gerrard, Robbie Fowler, Jamie Carragher and Michael Owen as they progressed through Liverpool’s youth system - hopes they, along with any other Kirkby prospects Klopp selects, can continue in that vein against Plymouth.
“They’ve sampled playing at Anfield and done very, very well,” he told Liverpoolfc.com.
“This time it’s an FA Cup game, with all the ingredients the cup brings to Anfield with the atmosphere. It’s a different atmosphere for those young players who hopefully will get a game.
“But they’ve already played and showed their potential, showed their skill, so they should feel a bit more comfortable now if they’re involved in the game on Sunday.
“The supporters will be right behind them like they were in the previous couple of games where they showed their skills off and what a great opportunity, what a great moment, for them to take that personal responsibility for doing well and staking a claim for future games and appearances in Liverpool’s first team.
“They’ve [Alexander-Arnold, Woodburn and Ejaria] made a good start in their own positions, and they need the games at that level to convince the manager that they’re future squad players and eventual first-team players.
“They have to take that on board and take that personal responsibility in endorsing what the manager is saying about them and giving the supporters real hope for the future that they can get a place in the first team.
“Everybody works so hard now in Liverpool’s first team, it’s fantastic to see, and they have to have all those qualities - the fitness, the mental strength and the ability to go with their all-round games.
“But hopefully, given the games, they’ll take that in their stride. If they’re going to go on and play for Liverpool, they should be able to handle this occasion. Being able to handle the occasion is the big thing.”
LFCTV GO: McAuley on youngsters, Klopp and Plymouth
McAuley went on to praise Klopp for fostering a strong connection between Melwood and Kirkby since his arrival in October 2015.
“The atmosphere is good, the relationship between the Academy and Melwood is very, very good,” he added.
“The staff get on well together, there’s constant talk and conversation about all the players there. There’s an elite group that train from the Academy to Melwood and they’re on top of things all the time.
“That can only be good for the youngsters, they’re seeing players getting games in Liverpool’s first team so there’s no reason why they can’t be as hopeful of getting games themselves if they do well and if they deserve it.
“Maybe that’s key - they’ve got to want it, they’ve got to deserve it, and you’ve got to be good enough to play in Liverpool’s first team.”