2 hours ago
30
New Liverpool signing Will Wright netted his first goal in Liverpool colors today as the Reds' U21s side concluded pre-season with a 4-0 victory over the Nigerian outfit One Touch FC.
Wright opened the scoring in the first half, and Calvin Ramsay made it 2-0 within a couple of minutes. Afolami Onanuga and Kaide Gordon both found the net after the interval.
James McConnell, who missed the start of pre-season because of an injury, played an hour of the game as he continues to build up his match sharpness again. He was the only player to get more than 45 minutes.
Kieran Morrison went close with a free-kick, with Rob Page's men cruising to a comfortable victory. His side lost 2-1 against Sunderland a few days ago and will take on Leicester City on Monday in the season opener.
The likes of Rio Ngumoha, Trey Nyoni and Armin Pecsi could all feature heavily for Liverpool at U21 level this season, though each has been with the first team throughout the summer.
Ngumoha and Nyoni were both on the bench at Wembley last weekend for the Community Shield. Ngumoha, in particular, in likely to remain an option from the sidelines against Bournemouth when the Premier League resumes on Friday.
As for Wright, who was signed from Salford City a few weeks ago in a deal worth around $266k (£200k), he is expected to be a key man at U21 level.
The teenager rejected advances from Arsenal to move to Liverpool, in part because of the pathway to senior action on offer. He also wanted to remain in the North West.
Wright is only 17, but last season he played against Manchester City in the FA Cup and then made two more appearances at senior level in League Two. Prior to that, he had been on the bench a couple of times for the EFL side.
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
In addition to Arsenal, Brentford, Leicester City and Burnley have all kept tabs on Wright. Manchester City kept an eye on him too, though it never formalized that interest with a move.
In all competitions and in all age groups, Wright scored more than 50 goals for Salford last season. Earlier this summer, he netted a brace for Salford against FC United of Manchester in pre-season.
Liverpool.com says: It will be interesting to see what happens with some of the players involved here. Kaide Gordon is ready to play senior football this season, for instance, and should get a move, be it permanent or on loan.
Calvin Ramsay, at the age of 22, is another who should be looking to assess his options. He is a long way down the senior pecking order and therefore an exit makes sense.
English (US) ·