Along with the escapades, the Champions League has sent numerous reconnaissance missions to Anfield over the past few years. Numerous young players who made an impression against Liverpool in the competition later joined the team. The Europa League has a fresh idea now, but the basic structure might remain the same.
Jürgen Klopp has made a practice of signing players from Liverpool’s opponents in the group stage, starting with Takumi Minamino, who caught his attention for Red Bull Salzburg. Along with Minamino, Dominik Szoboszlai was a member of that Red Bull Salzburg club who later joined the Reds.
Dáiz is another player who stood out for Porto against Liverpool in the group stages before joining in January. Of course, Ryan Gravenberch, who is expected to join Liverpool, also played against the Reds in the Champions League group stage, and he excelled there.
Teams of a different caliber will be available in the Europa League. Despite the quality decline, there won’t be a lack of fascinating young players eager to make an impression against Liverpool and follow in the footsteps of Gravenberch and Diaz.
LASK, Toulouse, and Union SG are in a group with Liverpool that might be quite interesting. This is a good draw because all the clubs are geographically close to Anfield.
All of the opponents will be well-known to the Reds as well. In order to keep an eye on Keito Nakamura last season, the club’s scouts attended numerous LASK games. Damien Comolli is the club’s sports director, and RedBird Capital, which has invested in Liverpool owner FSG, is also the club’s owner.
While this is going on, Union SG has recently produced players like Victor Boniface, Kaoru Mitoma, and Simon Adingra. Union SG also advanced to the quarterfinals of the competition last season. They currently have Kevin Mac Allister, Alexis Mac Allister’s brother, playing for them.
Casper Terho is undoubtedly one of the most promising young talents to keep an eye on. He represents Finland as a young player and plays for Union SG. He is 20 years old.
Overall, Liverpool will have a lot to watch out for as this Europa League group promises to be very exciting. Although the Reds may not unearth the next Kylian Mbappé, they very well could find another Diaz, carrying on a lengthy Klopp tradition.
