Liverpool went out on a mid-season break to train in the sunny region of La Manga. The opportunity arose as the Reds did not have any FA Cup games in the past week after being knocked out in the earlier round.
Jurgen Klopp did not want to let go of a chance to give the team a bit of a recharge and he didn’t just take the first team out for the trip to La Manga. There were a few other players from the U18 side that joined the senior side for the trip.
Yan Dhanda and Conor Masterson both joined the side for the training camp and it is an experience Masterson will never forget.
Speaking to the official website of the club Masterson was glowing in his praise of manager Klopp and spilled the details about the trip.
“He’s a great manager and he’s very good socialising with the players,” the 18-year-old told. “He is very good on one-to-ones and giving you advice.
“He made me more tactically aware of what I need to do and it was a great experience.
“The manager gives us great confidence because he really wants to see what you can do, what we have [coming through] in the Academy, and it’s great for us.
“I learned so much from the trip. You are training with quality players every day and that was great for me and Yan, and we learned a lot from it.”
Didn’t even know I was going on the trip
Masterson, who is now the U18 captain of the side, has had a great season so far and even featured for the U23 side. The youngster made it to the trip after a discussion with first-team development coach Pep Ljinders.
“Pep asked me did I have my passport – I said ‘yes’ and he said ‘good, because you’re coming to La Manga with us’. I was chuffed, over the moon!” he explained.
“I then had to get my passport as quickly as possible and then we were on the plane and off to La Manga. It happened so quickly and it was brilliant.”
With the Reds now back home and preparing for a tough trip to Leicester, Masterson took part in his own team’s game against the Nike Academy at Kirkby. Masterson was playing alongside Joe Gomez and was pleased with the performance alongside his fellow defender.
“I was happy to be back, it was good to keep the clean sheet and I thought we played well against a good team who had some decent players,” he said.
“Moving up to the U23s is a great honour for me, it’s another step forward in my development and I’m enjoying it.
“Joe is a great player. He is great to play alongside because he is confident and he talks to you throughout the game and I felt so comfortable alongside him.”
