Liverpool exclude pre-season youngster from UEFA Youth League squad – Liverpool FC
Liverpool have fielded a 40-man squad for the upcoming UEFA Youth League, with Mateusz Musialowski among those omitted from the Under-19 squad.
Alongside the Champions League campaign, the Reds will also feature in the youth equivalent this season, with UEFA Youth League fixtures mirroring those of the first team.
That brings a trip to Napoli on Wednesday afternoon, hours before the Champions League kicks off, with Barry Lewtas leading his U19s into Group A.
An exciting team has been named, including Bobby Clark, Stefan Bajcetic, Isaac Mabaya, Luke Chambers, Melkamu Frauendorf, Kaide Gordon, Oakley Cannonier, Ben Doak and Trent Kone-Doherty, among others.
New signing Reece Trueman, who swapped Norwich for Liverpool earlier in September, is one of five goalkeepers.
More intriguing than those called up for clashes with Napoli, Ajax and Rangers, however, are the players who have been omitted – with Musialowski the trademark name.
Up to five older players can be included in the squad, provided they were born on or after 1 January 2003 and have been with the club for at least two years.
Liverpool have therefore signed Harvey Davies, Jarell Quansah and Dominic Corness within this group alongside Max Woltman.
Musialowski is one of four older players who have been left out, with question marks over his long-term future at the club despite his role as a late substitute in the pre-season loss to Strasbourg.
Goalkeeper Fabian Mrozek and the versatile duo of James Norris and Luca Stephenson have also been overlooked despite one more-age spot remaining.
With Woltman having since left to join Doncaster on a season-long loan, UEFA rules state that a replacement can be named, but the fact that fewer than five were initially registered suggests this is unlikely.
For Musialowski, the omission further fuels speculation over his role at Liverpool, having seen first-team opportunities dwindle with minutes at academy level.
It’s possible the winger – who sparked interest from Polish clubs earlier this summer – is still on loan, with windows open in Belgium, the Czech Republic, Greece, Israel, Serbia, Slovakia, Turkey and Ukraine.
Liverpool squad for the UEFA Youth League
Guardians: Davies*, Hewitson, Morana, Trueman, Stretch
Defenders: Quansah*, Miles, Jonas, Lucky, Pinnington, Hayes-Green, Samuels, Mabaya, Chambers, Scanlon, Gyimah, Osborne, Davidson
Midfielders: Bajcetic, Corness*, McConnell, Pilling, Pennington, Onanuga, Giblin, Laffey, Kelly
Forwards: Woltman**, Clark, Gordon, Frauendorf, Cannonier, Blair, Doak, Kone-Doherty, Koumas, Young, John, Danns, Roberts
* Over-age
** Left on loan