I don’t care about the age of a player – Klopp

Joe Williams

Jurgen Klopp insists age is just a number as he looks to breed a new set of youngsters into the Liverpool first team.

17-year-old Ben Woodburn became the youngest ever goalscorer for the Reds when he bagged late on in their EFL Cup victory over Leeds on Tuesday night.

Klopp gave chances to a number of the club’s academy prospects, including Trent Alexander-Arnold and Ovie Ejaria, who produced good performances against the Yorkshire outfit.

When asked whether he has a favourite age of player to work with, Klopp revealed that he doesn’t mind as long as they have good potential to develop.

“No, as long as the player develops, I don’t care about the age. They’re all younger than me,” said Klopp at the pre-match press conference ahead of their match with Bournemouth on Sunday.

“They’re all young lads, some at a very young age, some at the best age and some where we can really use their experience. Everything is good. I enjoy working with these guys. I don’t compare how old you are.

“If you start really early, you have a long time to have a career, I think in this moment we are the right club for boys to develop and improve and get the best player they can get. It’s a long way to go, that’s all.

“They have to make their experiences, the not so nice ones, too, we will help. They have to perform on the pitch and when we think they’re ready, we’ll do it. If they deliver, all fine, but if not, we’re responsible.”