“It’s been a massive step for me” Liverpool’s academy star opens up on his journey and international heartbreak

Liverpool’s teenage prodigy Ben Woodburn has opened up on the giant leaps he is making with the historic club and the World Cup disaster with Wales. Woodburn burst on to the scenes for Liverpool in 2016, becoming the club’s youngest ever goal-scorer when he scored against Leeds in November aged just 17 years and 45 days.

This season hasn’t gone exactly according to the 18-year-old’s plans, although last season he made 4 starts and 5 substitute appearances under Jurgen Klopp. The Welsh forward has just made one appearance so far this season and that came in the Carabao Cup defeat at the hands of Leicester City last year.

However, Woodburn’s less game time with the senior team this campaign hasn’t hampered his progress on the international stage. Instead, he has been somewhat of a star for Wales, scoring the winning goal against Austria in a World Cup qualifier last year.

But the campaign ended in heartbreak as Wales were beaten in the last group game by the Republic of Ireland. And Woodburn says it still hurts.

“We were so close and it was just ‘almost’, it is devastating. When you get that far and don’t quite make it,” Woodburn told the Liverpool Echo.

When asked about his goal against Austria and his future with the national team, he added:

“A bit of both! It is nice to look back but you can’t look back at that all the time, you’ve got to think forwards.

“It’s been a massive step for me (international football) and I think it’s down to all the management and everyone at the Academy, they’ve all helped me so much in the last few years.”

Woodburn travelled with the rest of Liverpool squad to Portugal to face Porto last week in the Champions League. The Reds crushed Porto 5-0 but the 18-year-old didn’t get a chance to showcase his talent.

And after the trip to Porto and then light training camp in Marbella, Woodburn recalls:

“We travelled to Sevilla and Moscow and they’ve been great games. It is different, the weather, the players, the fans – obviously there was lots going on with the fans in Moscow. But it’s good (experience).”

Nevertheless, Woodburn, who is very much on the fringes of the first-team this season, got a chance to travel with the entire squad to Portugal and that itself ensures he is very much in Jurgen Klopp’s thoughts.