Jurgen Klopp has earmarked 18-year-old Dubliner Conor Masterson as one of the next generation of Academy starlets that can make a real impact at Anfield.
Masterson was snapped up by the Merseyside giants as a 13-year-old playing with west Dublin club Lucan United.
He signed a deal that was reported to be worth €1m when the centre-half turned 16 and his progress has been swift.
With Liverpool out of the FA Cup, Klopp took the opportunity to bring his squad on a mid-season training camp to La Manga, Spain.
He cherry-picked the Republic of Ireland U19 international, along with English attacker Yan Dhanda, for the trip, and has been impressed with what he's seen.
All smiles in 🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/gwuZUnxy9k
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) February 16, 2017
“I knew them both from training with us already,” Klopp told the Liverpool Echo.
“I also spoke with Pep (Lijnders, the first-team development coach) and it was a logical decision.
“We could have taken Rhian Brewster or a few other guys, but Yan Dhanda and Conor Masterson are the next boys.
“We needed two players and we decided on Yan and Conor.
“I know all of the boys and that’s really cool. It’s a good group. They have worked well, really good attitude. Yan and Conor have fitted in well.”
