The history of pre-season football is littered with players who featured alongside first team regulars but never quite made the grade for one reason or another. To even make it to that point is an incredible achievement and beyond the reach of 99 per cent of wannabe footballers in any case.
There were young players who appeared in Liverpool’s recent matches in Dubai who have not yet made their competitive debuts for the club, such as Dom Corness and Jarrell Quansah. Maybe their opportunity will come in a cup game (the latter has already been on the bench for the first-team three times) or perhaps they won’t make the breakthrough. We shall see.
Other youngsters who were involved against Lyon and AC Milan have already featured in proper matches this season, mostly against Derby in the Carabao Cup. With how well they performed last week, further first team chances look distinctly possible before 2022/23 is out.
