Liverpool have a number of talented youngsters in their ranks, but three in particular were tipped to save the club millions in the transfer market by John Barnes.
Liverpool’s youngsters were once hailed by John Barnes as the money-saving aces up their sleeve.
The Reds legend said his former club wouldn’t need to splash out on big names like Kylian Mbappe because they had a trio of budding hotshots in Curtis Jones, Rhys Williams, and Harvey Elliott, reports the Mirror.
Sharing his thoughts with BonusCodeBets in 2020, Barnes said: “If people go then you have to replace them to get the squad good, but Liverpool have Curtis Jones, Rhys Williams, Harvey Elliott and other young players, but I think Liverpool need more experience.
“If no more players go then Liverpool don’t need to make loads of signings, the squad is big and strong enough. But in football, you can lose players very quickly and you have to have a contingency plan in place to replace them.
“Liverpool aren’t looking to buy a Mbappe, [Lionel] Messi or a [Cristiano] Ronaldo or anyone that is going to come and say ‘I want to play in the team’, because they know what their best 11 is, particularly with the front three.
“Not with someone for £100m and on £200,000-a-week because there are players out there that can come and supplement the squad that are good enough to play every now and again.”
Four years later and the trio of players who Barnes thought would make an impact at Anfield have had mixed luck, with Daily Star Sport looking at where they are now.
Harvey Elliott
This flexible forward came to Liverpool in 2019 and has since played over 100 times for the Reds. Whether in midfield or as a winger, Elliott remains an option for Klopp, which must have helped him get picked to play, even in big matches.
This season, the former Fulham youngster has appeared in 24 out of Liverpool’s 28 league games. Not long back, Klopp gave Elliott a pat on the back for his attitude after playing his 100th game.
“I know that it’s a challenge for young boys,” he said. “When everything is great, they are super talents. When things don’t go well, you have to show up. And that’s what he’s learning more and more.”
Curtis Jones
Academy graduate Jones made himself known with some jaw-dropping moments in the FA Cup a few years ago and he’s now a valued squad member on the fringes of the starting XI. Some people might say that Jones hasn’t really stepped up like everyone hoped, but he’s a solid choice in midfield.
He featured in 11 consecutive league games earlier this season before getting injured. The 23-year-old is also enjoying his best goal-scoring season so far with five across all competitions.
Rhys Williams
Williams, a young central defender, was unexpectedly called up to play for Liverpool during the 2020/21 season when the team faced a defensive injury crisis with Virgil van Dijk and several other players injured.
Despite making 19 appearances that year, Williams hasn’t played for Liverpool’s first team since then and it seems his future at Anfield is uncertain.
He’s been loaned out multiple times by Klopp to teams like Blackpool and Aberdeen. This season, he joined Port Vale in League One but had to return early due to an injury.
