Latest Liverpool news: Stephen Warnock believes academy pair need to impress in pre-season

Former Liverpool left-back Stephen Warnock believes Alberto Moreno’s exit could have come at the right time for a pair of youngsters.

Adam Lewis and Yasser Larouci both play as left-backs and have impressed for the youth teams.

Lewis is a regular for the England U20s while Larouci has recently been converted into a full-back.

Warnock came through the Liverpool academy and believes Lewis could catch the eye of the coaching staff during pre-season (h/t LiverpoolFC.com):

“When you see one of the first-team players in Moreno leaving the club, Adam has got to look at that now and think, ‘Is this an opportunity for me?’”

Warnock added that Jurgen Klopp will give youth players a chance, and he might sign players.

The former left-back wanted Lewis to hit the ground running, and impress the manager:

“What Adam has to do is hit the ground running, make the most of pre-season and you have to try and press upon to the manager, so he has a doubt in his mind to think, ‘Do I actually need to go and buy another left-back?’”

The 19-year-old is capable of playing in the midfield too, but Warnock claimed that sticking to one position, like Trent Alexander-Arnold, could help the youngster break into the first-team.

Praise for Larouci from Warnock

Warnock was impressed by Larouci’s performances as a left-back. The youngster was a winger, however, Lewis’ promotion to the U23s left a bit of a hole in the U18 team.

Larouci needs to get better defensively, according to Warnock, however, the 18-year-old is a great prospect:

“Yasser is very powerful and difficult to stop, so for me he is an exciting prospect and one that has adapted very quickly to the left-back role.”

The Reds need cover for Robertson, and it will be interesting to see if Lewis is promoted next season.

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Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez have done well under Klopp, and it will be interesting to which youngster gets the push from the German next.