Liverpool rising star Luis Longstaff took part in first-team training at Melwood on Tuesday.
The 17-year-old winger was pictured taking part in a session run by the Merseysiders’ assistant manager Pep Lijnders at their training headquarters alongside first-team stars Joel Matip, Daniel Sturridge, James Milner, Alberto Moreno and Nathaniel Clyne.
In an image uploaded on to the personal Twitter account of This Is Anfield journalist Jack Lusby, Longstaff’s fellow rookies Dan Atherton, George Johnston, Isaac Christie-Davies and Glen McAuley also took part in the training session.
https://twitter.com/jacklusby_/status/1064896808533536768
OPINION
Longstaff’s promotion to the first-team set-up is reward for his eyecatching performances for Liverpool Under-18s this season. The youngster, who turns 18 in January, has made eight appearances for the age-group side in domestic competition as well as a further three in the Uefa Youth League. A right-sided winger who can also operate on the left as well as in central midfield, he has caught the eye with his pace and directness, scoring against former club Newcastle United as well as supplying two assists. The England-youth international made his Under-18s debut for the came in the 2016-17 campaign, when he memorably came off the bench to score an equaliser away to Manchester United. Promotion to first-team training is not the end game for Liverpool’s rising stars, it is the start of their attempts to force their way into one of the strongest senior squads in Europe. Training alongside a player like James Milner, renowned as a formidable trainer who sets the standards at Melwood, will show Longstaff and his fellow rookies what is needed to get to the top and stay there.