In what has been a rather disappointing season so far for Liverpool, one of the highlights has been the involvement of some of the Reds’ most talented youngsters.
Stefan Bajcetic, Bobby Clark, and Ben Doak have all been handed Premier League debuts, Layton Stewart and Melkamu Frauendorf have also featured for the first team, while the likes of Luke Chambers and Jarell Quansah have trained with Jurgen Klopp's men and been included in matchday squads.
From that group, Bajcetic has made the biggest impact in the first team, making eight appearances and even scoring his first senior goal against Aston Villa in the Premier League on Boxing Day. Meanwhile, Doak continues to set tongues wagging following his summer move from Celtic, exciting fans whenever he takes to the pitch regardless of which level the 17-year-old is playing at.
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Speaking to the ECHO after Liverpool Under-21s’ 2-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, manager Barry Lewtas shared his pride at so many of his players making an impact at first team level this season.
“So many of the boys are with the first team so often. We don’t get complacent with it but so many are getting the opportunity,” he said. “Luke Chambers, Dominic Corness and Bobby Clark were over in Dubai, Jarell Quansah got an opportunity over there too. It’s good if we can keep this conveyor belt going as much as we can.”
“He never scored for me!” Lewtas then joked of Bajcetic’s first Liverpool goal. "That was my reaction! I don’t think he’s ever been in the box! There you go.
“I was over the moon for him. It’s good, it’s not just him getting an opportunity, it’s how these young boys are welcomed into the squad by the manager and the staff.
“When they go to Dubai and you see some of the training online, the lads are fully involved. They’re part of it. First team players take them under their wing and look after them. That’s the really pleasing bit when these boys move up.
“People probably now look at Stefan as a first team player, but it’s only because of how fondly the manager and the coaching staff speak about him as well. That’s what makes it quite special at the moment.”
However, with Bajcetic not named in the matchday squad for either the first team or the Under-21s over the weekend, while Doak was withdrawn at half-time against Spurs having come on for Klopp’s side against Wolves the night before, Lewtas also warned how the club will continue to manage such players, who are still only teenagers, carefully despite the hype around them.
“No, nothing long term,” he said when asked if Bajcetic was injured, seemingly suggesting there was an issue of sorts. “It was a little bit of a decision. With these younger lads, we have to be really careful, just around how many games they play.
“For us, we play today (Sunday), Wednesday, Saturday, Wednesday, Sunday, Friday, and then Wednesday. We have to be really careful. It’s really exciting but they are still young boys and still growing.
“Ben was always going to come off too, after he came on last night (against Wolves) as well. With us going down to 10 men, the job was going to become that little bit tougher.
“You’ve got to remember, Ben’s only a first year scholar. We have to monitor him a little bit. The minutes are always gauged on the game as well. Once we knew how the game was going to look, we made that call.”
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