Having plied his trade on loan in League Two last season, midfielder Luca Stephenson looks to have made an early impression on Arne Slot at Liverpool.
As the Reds prepare to fly to Pittsburgh for the start of their United States tour on Tuesday, Slot has begun trimming down his wider squad.
Having called upon a large number of academy players for his first sessions as head coach, the likes of Tom Hill, Dominic Corness and James Norris have since departed the first-team group.
One player who has remained, however, is 20-year-old Stephenson, who spent the previous campaign on loan with League Two side AFC Barrow.
The combative midfielder, who was signed from Sunderland in 2018, has been a constant presence in Liverpool’s pre-season preparations so far, working alongside senior midfielders such as Curtis Jones and Wataru Endo.
His ongoing inclusion comes despite midfield arguably being the most well-stocked area in Slot’s initial squad for the summer.
Harvey Elliott, Stefan Bajcetic, Tyler Morton, James McConnell and Trey Nyoni could all be considered regular fixtures at senior level, while Dominik Szoboszlai has also now rejoined the group.
Liverpool are only without Copa America winner Alexis Mac Allister and Euro semi-finalist Ryan Gravenberch as it stands, though Bobby Clark is yet to train due to injury.
Stephenson could be considered in with a chance of making the Liverpool squad for their US tour, then, with the midfielder clearly catching Slot’s eye.
He finds himself in a similar position to winger Harvey Blair, also 20, having enjoyed an unexpected promotion to the first-team setup so far.
Part of a triple signing from Sunderland‘s academy along with McConnell and Luke Hewitson, Stephenson has proved a popular figure in Liverpool’s youth ranks.
Though naturally a midfielder, he has also played at right-back on a number of occasions, including in many of his 34 appearances at Barrow last time out, when he was deployed as an attacking wing-back.
His energy and tenacity in midfield are key traits, and this time last year U21s manager Barry Lewtas praised his leadership after filling in at centre-back.
“Fair play to him, and that’s why he is the leader he is. Luca leads by example,” he told the club’s official website.
“Playing Luca at centre-half was something we needed as a team and he is always willing to step in and, to be fair, he does a fantastic job wherever he plays.
“Luca is a midfielder, I see him as a midfielder and he knows that, but sometimes Luca is helping us out.”
Back at the start of 2023, Stephenson himself insisted: “I will play anywhere I’m needed for the team, I’ll go in goal if they needed me!”
This selfless attitude will no doubt endear him to Slot and his new staff – though any decision over his next move remains to be seen.
Another loan seems likely, perhaps even in the Championship, though with a change of coaching staff there is always a chance new judgments are cast and futures are altered significantly.
