It’s fair to say three teenagers have been the stars of the show for Liverpool during their mid-season training camp in Dubai.
Jurgen Klopp took a star-studded squad to the Middle East, with only seven players absent because of World Cup duties, meaning the likes of Mohamed Salah, Thiago Alcantara and Roberto Firmino were all on show for the Reds against both Lyon and AC Milan in the Dubai Super Cup.
Yet it was the next generation that set tongues wagging, specifically Stefan Bajcetic, Bobby Clark and Ben Doak. The former would start both matches as the number six in the absence of Fabinho and Jordan Henderson and put in performances beyond his years to earn praise from both his manager and supporters.
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Meanwhile, the latter pair both dazzled off the bench and were both able to claim eye-catching assists for Darwin Nunez in late cameo appearances against AC Milan. When you consider Bajcetic only turned 18 in October, Clark won’t celebrate his 18th birthday until February and Doak celebrated his 17th birthday just days after his Liverpool debut against Derby County last month, it’s clear the three are special talents.
“When you bring on the kids [in the] second half and you see the pass from Bobby Clark and the whole performance from Stefan, the performance from Mel (Frauendorf) as a right full-back and then Ben Doak comes on, 17 years old, and is this kind of natural force, it's really cool to see,” Klopp would beam after beating AC Milan. “In these 10, 11 days, the kids especially, everybody made a real step forward. That's why these things are so important, that we can involve them.”
Klopp would name-drop all three upon arrival in Dubai earlier this month also, with it clear they have already made their presence firmly felt on the German behind the scenes.
“Because we have so many young players with us as well, it’s very important to bring them closer,” Klopp told LFCTV . “They did incredibly well, Stefan did incredibly well, so many really showed up, to be 100 per cent honest, and others still have to adapt.
“For example, young Calvin had no pre-season with us, now this is his first pre-season. He was long out, very important for him to get to know everybody and all of these things. Ben Doak looks really promising, now he’s here with us. So all these kind of things are really interesting. Bobby Clark, really interesting player, obviously here with us – like the others as well.
“But they showed already, ‘OK, looks good, have them here'. Then all the other boys, having them here, it’s very important.”
In truth, Bajcetic and Clark have long since been on the radar, having impressed in pre-season back in the summer before being handed Premier League debuts in the 9-0 victory over AFC Bournemouth back in August. The former would add three Champions League appearances to his belt before both impressed against Derby County last month.
Meanwhile, Doak has shone for the Under-18s, Under-19s and Under-21s ever since signing from Celtic in the summer. Such Academy displays earned him his Liverpool debut against the Rams and he looks set to continue training with the first team.
What comes next for the trio though? Bajcetic has featured most prominently with Klopp’s squad this season and you’d expect that to continue as an understudy to Fabinho during the second half of the campaign.
But in truth, as impressive as Clark and Doak have been, senior opportunities could be limited in 2023. As things stand, neither are eligible to feature for the Reds in the Champions League. Along with Bajcetic, none of the trio have been at Anfield long enough to qualify as an Under-21s player on List B, hence the Spaniard’s inclusion in Klopp’s 25-man squad.
Sure, there’s the domestic cups and all three could perhaps feature in the FA Cup against Wolves next month. Yet a more senior side is expected to feature against Man City in the League Cup next week, with Bajcetic best-placed for anything more than a cameo appearance.
Again, the Spaniard is the youngster most likely to add to his maiden Premier League appearance in the months ahead. Granted, the occasional substitute appearance could fall the way of Clark and Doak in the second half of the season but anything more, no matter how well they perform at youth level, would be a surprise as the Reds continue to manage them carefully.
That is no slant on their abilities, of course. Let us remind ourselves that neither are even 18 yet, after all, and will no doubt feature prominently next summer when pre-season comes around once again at least. But with youth football already looking too straight-forward for the pair, as it once was for Harvey Elliott, perhaps that is why they have already been linked with temporary moves away.
BBC Scotland claimed that Nottingham Forest were monitoring Doak ahead of a potential loan move last month, while Preston North End have repeatedly been credited with interest in Clark.
In truth, it’s rare for Liverpool to sanction loan exits for players so young. From all of the youth players to have been granted their first temporary moves away from Anfield since Klopp took over as manager in October 2015, Elliott is the only one to have been under the age of 18.
Meanwhile, Taiwo Awoniyi, Anderson Arroyo, and Allan were all as young 18 when they departed on loan, though that was because they were unable to obtain a work permit to play in England at the time. Rhys Williams, Ben Woodburn, James Balagizi, and Jakub Ojrzynski are the only other 18-year-olds to have left the Reds temporarily for the first time, and they would all celebrate their 19th birthdays during their time away.
So Clark and Doak are significantly younger and would be following in the footsteps of Elliott if they were to be allowed out on loan in January, or even next season when it comes to the recently-turned 17-year-old. As a result, it would certainly be a surprise if Liverpool sanctioned a Premier League loan switch anytime soon, though with the Reds enjoying close relations with former coach Steve Cooper, who successfully managed Rhian Brewster on loan at Swansea City in 2020, perhaps Forest could be a viable option if they suffered relegation from the top-flight this season.
But Liverpool’s relationship with two Championship clubs in particular could make them the perfect loan destinations in the future for either Clark or Doak, with the second tier the ideal middle step as such elite talents grow beyond youth football but aren't yet ready for anything more than sporadic first team cameos.
Fortunately for the former, the first is his potential suitors, Preston North End. Sepp van den Berg thrived during an 18-month loan move to Deepdale during the second half of the 2020/21 season and then 2021/22, with Reds insiders very impressed by his progress with the club. Meanwhile, former Liverpool academy graduate Ben Woodburn, having once been tipped for greatness at Anfield, is currently reigniting his career with the Lilywhites and speaks highly of the club.
Meanwhile, the second is Blackburn Rovers. They worked hard to convince Reds bosses to sanction a loan departure for Elliott back in October 2020, with former manager Tony Mowbray presenting a significantly enticing proposal over video call to lure the midfielder to Ewood Park. With an exit for Xherdan Shaqiri collapsing, the loan was granted with the promise of regular first team football deemed more beneficial for the then 17-year-old than flitting between youth and first team football, with only sporadic senior opportunities open to him at Anfield at that time.
Elliott would emerge as one of the star players in the Championship that season, returning seven goals and 11 assists from 41 league appearances to ensure the switch was a roaring success. Two years on and he is first-choice in Klopp's midfield, with such progress no doubt happening more swiftly if not for a dislocated ankle suffered last season.
Since then, Liverpool have trusted Blackburn with the services of both Leighton Clarkson and Tyler Morton. Admittedly, the former’s loan switch did not go to plan as he asked to return to Anfield midway through the season, but the latter is thriving following his breakthrough season under Klopp last year. Even with a new manager in place in the summer, in former AC Milan striker Jon Dahl Tomasson, they are not letting the Reds down.
When it came to Elliott, geography would play a key role in convincing Liverpool to let him leave on loan. Only 40 miles away in Blackburn, it provided minimal disruption to his development and made it easy for Reds chiefs to check in on his progress regularly in person.
Admittedly it would be simplistic to suggest Doak could thrive to the same extent at Ewood, if Blackburn did show future interest, but the fact he is the same age Elliott that was at the time of his own loan and plays the same role (a left-footed right-winger), the similarities in such situations are obvious.
Blackburn and Preston are both currently challenging for promotion to the Premier League, along with fellow Lancashire outfit Burnley, managed by Vincent Kompany. Elsewhere in the north west in the second tier, Wigan Athletic, managed by former Liverpool defender Kolo Toure, and Blackpool, who currently have Rhys Williams on loan from the Reds, are fighting it out in the relegation zone.
Liverpool have a number of trusted connections in the second tier, which would be advantageous for any such teams if they wished to sign an Anfield youngster on loan. Already proven to be the perfect destinations in the past, such relationships could play a key role for the likes of Clark and Doak if a temporary switch away is considered the next step in their development, either during this campaign or next, following their promising mid-season showings.
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