Ben Woodburn is likely to leave Liverpool on loan in January with Championship clubs keen…and Nottingham Forest must challenge Sunderland.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp will grant young striker Ben Woodburn the opportunity to leave on loan in the January transfer window, according to the Liverpool Echo.
But Klopp will only hand the club’s youngest ever goal-scorer over to a side who would guarantee the 18-year-old the chance to play regular first-team football between now and the end of the season.
And this is great news for Sunderland, according to The Chronicle. Manager Chris Coleman put his faith in Woodburn when in charge of Wales and was rewarded with a stunning debut goal in September’s World Cup qualifier against Austria.
With a lack of attacking quality throughout Sunderland’s squad, Woodburn would face little opposition when attempting to force his way into Coleman’s starting XI at club level.
Nottingham born
But Sunderland are not the only Championship side with connections to one of England’s brightest young talents. Nottingham Forest’s director of football Frank McParland, an esteemed talent spotter who discovered Raheem Sterling among others, is understood to have kept an eye on Woodburn’s progress.
According to the Nottingham Post, it was McParland who was keeping tabs on Woodburn during his time as Liverpool’s academy director a decade ago. Add in the fact that the record-breaking teen was born in Nottingham and suddenly a move to the City Ground seems possible.
Forest have launched the careers of countless young talents in recent years, from Karl Darlow to Jamaal Lascelles and Oliver Burke, and a spell in Mark Warburton’s first-team could help Woodburn fulfil his limitless potential.
The goals have dried up for Forest’s strikers of late too so Woodburn could be more than an impact sub at the City Ground – which would keep that grin on Klopp’s face.
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