Midfielder Matteo Ritaccio, who joined Liverpool from BW Gottschee in 2018, is believed to have left the club after not being on their shortlist.
Ritaccio arrived on Merseyside as a 16-year-old, having impressed on trial, joining as part of the U18 squad for 2018/19.
There were high hopes for the American midfielder, who signed his first professional contract in 2019, although injuries have hampered his progress in the U23s.
His last outing for the club was back in 2021, when he left the pitch in tears after picking up another injury in a 4-1 defeat to Bolton in the EFL Trophy.
After a tough loan spell with the Charleston Battery in his native United States, the Ritaccio bar has seen few fleeting appearances at the AXA Training Centre.
It now appears as if the 22-year-old has left the club, having not been included in Liverpool’s retained list for the 2024/25 campaign.
Ritaccio has also seen his profile removed from the club’s official website, with suggestions that he was released as early as January this year.
The New Yorker has already spent the last months in the US, and it is assumed that he is now back permanently.
His terms at Anfield did run through the 2023/24 campaign, but a deal is likely to have been reached for his early return to America.
Goalkeeper Oscar Kelly was also not named on Liverpool’s retained list, although the 21-year-old was expected to take on an academy coaching role.
It has been confirmed that eight academy players have been released, the most famous names being Mateusz Musialowski, Melkamu Frauendorf and Adam Lewis.
Luke Hewitson, Niall Osborne, Francis Gyimah, Nathan Giblin and Cody Pennington were also released, while goalkeepers Reece Trueman and Jacob Poytress were given training contracts.
Another goalkeeper, U18 regular Nathan Morana, has had his scholarship extended for a second year.
