5 days ago
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The unpredictable nature of youth player development invariably makes seasonal planning a challenging endeavour. And there's arguably one particular grievance that has echoed around Liverpool's Academy corridors far too frequently in recent seasons.
Whether due to injuries, loan arrangements or international duties, the shortage of available recognised forwards has consistently hindered the progress of both the under-21 and U18s squads.
The U21s have already witnessed this pattern persist this campaign, with both Jayden Danns and summer acquisition Will Wright ruled out by substantial fitness concerns.
However, this has opened doors for alternative candidates. And there was additional proof they are seizing these chances with both hands during an eventful weekend for the Academy sides.
The most convincing demonstration came from Keyrol Figueroa, who bagged a treble as Liverpool defeated 10-man Everton 4-1 in the mini-derby to secure just their second Premier League 2 victory of the season under head coach Rob Page, reports the Liverpool Echo.
Figueroa now boasts five strikes in his previous five league appearances, and commented: "This is really important for me, especially because of how it's been going for me recently.
"Sometimes I've been playing, sometimes I've been not, injuries. I just had to keep my head high, I didn't want to sulk or anything.
"This was my career at the end of the day, so I had to decide whether I step up to the plate or not."
Figueroa, who represents the United States at U20 level, has been selected for Liverpool's previous four Premier League 2 fixtures and spearheaded the attack during last week's thrilling 5-4 UEFA Youth League victory over Eintracht Frankfurt, having appeared as a substitute in this month's EFL Trophy loss to Crewe Alexandra.
"He has thoroughly deserved his opportunity to play," said Page. "He's been a credit.
"He's seen other players play and he's never grumbled once – well, maybe once or twice he's knocked on my door! But I respect him for that, I love him even more for that. What a guy and what a great character."
Meanwhile, Josh Sonni-Lambie maintained his remarkable scoring rate of nearly a goal per match across all competitions by inspiring the U18s to mount a stunning fightback in Saturday's 3-3 stalemate with Wolves at Kirkby in the U18 Premier League North.
Despite trailing 3-0 after just 25 minutes, the young Reds had clawed their way back into contention by the interval courtesy of La'more Lee Forrester and Sonni-Lambie's 10th strike of the campaign, before Oliver O'Connor completed the revival shortly before the hour mark.
Sonni-Lambie, who remains just 17 years of age, had featured from the start against Crewe and operated in an advanced playmaker role supporting Figueroa in Germany.
Discussing the partnership, Page commented: "They compliment each other. Figgy is physical and has a presence that allows us to play over the press. We are seeing the game going more direct again in the Premier League, and he helps us achieve that.
"The intelligence of Josh and the game he has got, he is in good form at the minute."
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