That’s a damn fine youth side.
No Herbie Kane or Woodburn either, who will both have professional careers at some level as well.
EFL Trophy U21s Results (23/09/2020
Shrewsbury 3-0 Newcastle U21s
AFC Wimbledon 2-0 Brighton U21s
Stevenage 2-1 Southampton U21s
Wigan 6-1 Liverpool U21s
Oldham 4-0 Wolves U21s
Latest Transfers - U23 & U18
Ulrick Eneme Ella, 19, CF: Amiens to Brighton - £200k
Liam Gibson, 23, LB: Newcastle to Morecambe - Free
Harry Ord, 18, CB: Sunderland to Pickering - Free
Melvin Sitti, 20, DM: Norwich to Waasland-Beveren - Loan
Daniel Sinani, 23, LW: Norwich to Waasland-Beveren - Loan
Luke McCormick, 21, CM: Chelsea to Bristol Rovers - Loan
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@Sweeting any idea what’s happening with Kane? He was Doncaster player of season (I think- at very least had a very successful spell with them) 2 years ago in league one, had a spell at Hull last January in championship (not sure how that ended- with injury or because covid shutdown). I’m sure he’s headed out again, but don’t remember seeing him with any youth teams.
As you say he went to Hull and missed the end of the year through injury and doesn’t appear to be close to anything like a loan move currently. I expect he will find something towards the end of the window.
We seems to play a team probably one below the one we could play in this tournament to me it’s nothing more than a good exercise for the youth kids, I hate the tournament as it is and it serves no purpose especially without the fans (Though a lot stay away).
Suppose they must pull some revenue in but if you’ve bought a Wigan pass it probably wasn’t for this game.
Question has to be asked Man City have constantly gone to the Quarters in this but bar Foden they promote no one. So what purpose is Man City doing well in it served the national team?
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It is a good exercise for the kids, most of the EFL teams often play there subs/older reserves in the game, which provide a different test for the U21’s.
I for one, would merge the this tournament and the League Cup, effectively having the same format as the League Cup. But all premier league teams would have a U21/U23 team instead. You might have to flip the way teams enter, so the youth teams enter in the first round, and the Championship sides are last to enter.
It would reduce the game load for all teams across the division, as well as keep that experience for the younger kids.
I believe we’re the only Major league to still have a 2nd domestic cup competition, which kind of says it all really.
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Delighted with this. I rate him very highly. Obviously signed on his 17th birthday. In a couple of seasons he could be knocking on the door like Jones was last season.
U23s vs Man Utd tonight, 7pm kickoff and live on LFCtv.com
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Nice one, I always forget about these games until I see your posts.
Hopefully see a couple of new faces in that u23 team.
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The U18s also have a big game tomorrow against Man City (who battered us a few times last season), at 11am on LFCtv, so will be interesting to see the rotation - especially since they only played the other day against Wigan’s first team. I’m assuming none of the lads in the squad for last night will play this one - which would rule out van den Berg. I’m imagining something fairly similar to other recent U23 squads. I think it will be something like…
Jaros
Bradley Clayton Savage Beck
Cain Clarkson Woodburn
Bearne Longstaff Millar
and then the U18s will likely be
Ojrzynski
Wilson Quansah Jonas Chambers
Morton Stephenson Corness
Balagizi
Stewart Frauendorf
The benches could be interesting - there aren’t really enough fit players to fill them up.
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I agree that he won’t play but I’d like to see Van Den Berg, I think they need a bit of leadership back there. The highlights against Wigan were quite brutal defensively.
That front 3 has looked toothless so far too, guess the only change could be O’Rourke.
As ever, we’ll be looking to that midfield 3 to create and score everything by the looks of it.
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Yeah I agree the front three is pretty useless at this level. I think it’s clear that the last few seasons we have decided to move away from the U23/Reserves team being the “flagship” of the academy - which was something Borrell was keen to introduce - and now it’s more of a temporary holding cell of a team with some clear seperations - you’ve got a group of players who have recently moved up from the U18s and are simply spending time in the U23s to fill out physically before going on loan (I’m thinking of Conor Bradley, Jake Cain, Leighton Clarkson, Jack Bearne); players working their way to full fitness after serious injuries (Paul Glatzel, Abdi Sharif and Vitezslav Jaros); first team players, or at least trainers, who just need a bit of match fitness (van den Berg, Koumetio, Kelleher) and then you’ve got all the lads who know by now they won’t make it here and are just playing until they move on (Longstaff, Millar, Clayton, Woodburn).
Certainly not a level that you want to get stuck in for too long. Really you need to fly through the U23 squad and within two years be pushing for first team football or heading out on loan. Any longer than that and you’re probably not good enough. The U18 is the “elite” development team now.
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Interesting team - maybe indicates that Larouci won’t be moving on this window afterall…
Winterbottom
Bradley Clayton Savage Larouci
Cain Clarkson Woodburn
Bearne Longstaff Millar
Subs: Davies; Beck, Dixon-Bonner, Sharif, O’Rourke
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Any streams?
1-0 Liverpool - Clarkson
Clarkson and Longstaff jump the Utd midfielder as he collected the ball, Clarkson emerges with it and played it wide to Bearne who squared it back across the box for Clarkson to tap in.
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Clarkson and Cain are definitely the stand out in this younger looking U-23’s
Although a few years away from the fringes of the first team
There could be space in 2 years if the likes of Milner/Wijnaldum move on
Really good start from the reds, suffocating United with the pressing. Cain and Clarkson doing well again but Millar, Bearne and Woodburn playing well too. Both full backs doing well.
Brilliant play from Jake Cain there. Hope that goal gives Woodburn some confidence.
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