One of the most interesting developments in Liverpool’s pre-season games has been the re-emergence of Ben Woodburn.
Ben Woodburn, remember him? Once upon a time, the Welshman was touted as the next big thing at Liverpool. In fact, he’s the Reds’ youngest-ever goalscorer and he’s also Wales’ third-youngest ever player.
Sadly, the last few years haven’t been easy for Woodburn. He’s struggled with numerous injuries and he’s failed to make any real impression out on loan, despite the fact he’s been playing League One football for the last couple of seasons.
However, as remarkable as it sounds, it now seems as though he may finally be ready to make an impact for the Reds’ first-team.
Indeed, during pre-season he’s earned praise from both Jurgen Klopp and Pep Lijnders, with the assistant manager claiming that the attacker does have a future at Anfield, while fans have also been impressed by the dramatic improvement he’s seemingly made this summer.
The Athletic have even reported that people behind the scenes at Anfield have been blown away by Woodburn this summer, and all the signs point towards the 21-year-old getting a chance.
It may seem like a lifetime ago that Woodburn burst onto the scene for Liverpool, but the reality is that he’s just 21 years old, and he shouldn’t be written off yet.
Yes, he’s had some underwhelming loan spells, but not every player flourishes in the lower divisions – just look at what Harry Kane did as a youngster.
Much like Woodburn, Kane was sent out on loan to the lower divisions in his youth, and it’s fair to say he struggled, netting just 14 league goals in 53 appearances for Leyton Orient, Millwall and Leicester in the EFL.
Who would have tipped Kane to be a three-time Golden Boot winner and a future England captain at that point? Hardly anyone, and it wasn’t until the age of 21 that Kane really came into his own.
Now, we’re not saying that Woodburn will be as good as Kane, very few players are, but this is a lad with a lot of ability, being described as an ‘outstanding talent’ in the past, and there’s no reason why, just like Kane, he can’t blossom in the Premier League this season despite not making the grade in the EFL.
Klopp and Lijnders are very rarely wrong about any player, and they’ve been speaking very highly of Woodburn as of late.
Perhaps the Welshman could be Liverpool’s secret weapon heading into this season.
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