Academy News: Liverpool announce contract extension for academy star Fidel O’Rourke
According to the club’s official handle on Twitter, Liverpool have officially announced the completion of a contract extension for academy star Fidel O’Rourke. He has signed the new deal today, which will safeguard his future at Anfield following this renewal.
A lifelong Reds fan, O’Rourke joined the club for the U14 youth system, and he is currently a part of Barry Lewtas’ U23s squad. He was initially spotted playing for St Francis Xavier’s College and Mags Titans in amateur football. He has previously won the FA Youth Cup back in 2019 and was also a former captain for the U18 side.
Liverpool Echo also state that the new contract is one with the long-term future of the player in mind, indicating the plans the Reds may have for the 20-year-old. That being said, the club is yet to release the information regarding the length of the said extension.
Star in the making?
The Englishman is a proper centre-forward in nature despite playing in central midfield early in his career. He has also scored a goal from eight appearances in Premier League 2 this season. His strike came in the 7-1 riot of Tottenham Hotspur last month, although he did score his first goal for U23 against Preston North End.
The teenager had signed his first professional contract back in 2020 and further signed an extension last year in May. The recent renewal shows how the Merseyside club counts on him, which is also a nod to the progress he has achieved so far.
It is always good to see the club counting on their young talents as they could provide the foundations for our success in the future. Securing O’Rourke’s future would go in line with what we want to achieve in that regard.
We hope to see the Scouser succeed with us since it would be a great achievement for him to make a name for himself at his local club. After all, seeing a lifelong fan become a key part of the first team is something fans love to see. Moreover, his affection for the club could also be a driving factor that assists him to make great strides with us.
Having O’Rourke as an understudy for our current strikers would be a useful prospect, but for that to happen, he must maintain the current level and become a regular for the U23 side. Whether he will make a breakthrough in the first team or not would only be known in due time.
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But given the game time that Trent Alexander-Arnold, Harvey Elliott, and Curtis Jones have received in recent times, it shows that Klopp is not averse to handing first-team minutes to players who actually deserve- no matter their age.
