A familiar young player was called up to training ahead of Saturday’s Merseyside derby after Liverpool suffered two injuries to their left backs during the international break. The international break is a pain when trying to build any momentum, and Liverpool is all too familiar with the possibility of injuries happening. While Ben Doak also passed away and fellow left-back Luke Chambers suffered an ankle injury, we are still unsure of the extent of Andy Robertson’s shoulder injury, which appears to be serious. The fact that Kostas Tsimikas started his first league game against Everton is a setback for Robertson, but the young left-back will be hoping for a window of opportunity to present itself soon.
Those who follow academy football or the Reds’ recent preseason will recognize Calum Scanlon; the 18-year-old played four times during the summer, clocking in at 77 minutes. During the Reds’ training camp in Germany, Jurgen Klopp singled out the left-back for praise. Although he hasn’t yet made a competitive first-team appearance, this could soon change. Given that Robertson is out and that Chambers suffered another setback during the preseason due to an injury, Scanlon might be included in the team that plays Bournemouth in the League Cup. With Klopp switching up his squad for midweek matches, the 18-year-old has a chance to be the next rookie when the four-round match takes place on November 1 on the south coast.
To top it off, Cody Gakpo contributed another boost by participating in the warm-ups before finishing his own individual work, and Caoimhin Kelleher returned from his knee injury, which required stitches.
