The 11 Liverpool academy players aiming to make a mark on the pre-season tour of the U.S.

Pre-season will be a land of opportunity for Liverpool’s academy players this summer.

With a new head coach and a major tournament tying up a number of senior players, there is a chance for a player to make their mark.

Rio Ngumoha was the prime example last summer as he lit up pre-season, scoring two goals and providing two assists. His impact made it impossible to ignore him once the season started.

The under-21s returned for pre-season last Monday, initially for testing before their first proper day of training on Thursday. New head coach Andoni Iraola was pictured watching the session, which also involved some of the senior players who returned early.

It remains unclear how many youngsters Iraola will want to take on tour to the United States, which begins on July 20. Liverpool only had eight players at the World Cup, so the Spaniard will have a large portion of his squad available immediately.

Only two — Argentina’s Alexis Mac Allister and Spain’s Victor Munoz — remain in the tournament after earlier-than-expected exits for the Netherlands, Germany and Brazil. The standard holiday after the tournament for Liverpool’s players is three weeks, so some of those eliminated could join for at least part of the tour.

But there are still going to be opportunities for academy players to impress, especially during the early sections.

“This progressive introduction also will allow me maybe to get more in touch with every player and also will give, especially the young players, some players that have been on loan, more minutes during pre-season,” Iraola told reporters at his introductory press conference.

“The first part of pre-season, basically, it’s going to be with a lot of players from the academy; players that, in another situation, maybe I wouldn’t know as well, and now I will have the chance to get to know them personally, training every day with them, in some friendlies, and it’s going to be good information for me.”

It will be a stage for some to potentially force their way into the first team plans like Ngumoha did, while others will have the chance to raise their profile in the hopes of securing the best possible loan move.

“All the boys realise the importance of a pre-season after a tournament summer,” Liverpool’s academy director Alex Inglethorpe told The Athletic last month.

“There’s the opportunity to put your name forward, that you could be someone of interest. It’s an amazing opportunity to have an audition with the manager. Rio showed what was possible when he grasped his chance last year.”

Here, The Athletic takes a look at some of the youngsters who will be hoping to make a positive impression.

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Trey Nyoni

The 19-year-old central midfielder spent last season in the senior set-up but only accumulated 237 minutes of playing time — a total that he will be looking to increase this season.

Nyoni’s talent is undoubted, which is why he was fast-tracked through the club’s academy after arriving from Leicester City in September 2023 as a 16-year-old. Iraola will now have the chance to get a closer look at him, especially during the first weeks of pre-season due to midfield absences.

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Jayden Danns

It was unfortunate the 20-year-old striker missed so much of last season with injury given how Liverpool needed more depth up front for much of it (especially when Alexander Isak was out with his broken leg).

Former head coach Arne Slot spoke positively about Danns and while he may not have been given starting opportunities last season, it hinted that he would have been involved and had the opportunity to establish himself.

With Isak returning late from the World Cup and Hugo Ekitike injured, Danns has the ideal opportunity to put himself in Iraola’s thoughts. In his 10 senior appearances so far, he has shown his potential, scoring three goals. More of that in pre-season could put him in contention for a role in the senior squad.

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Stefan Bajcetic

It is not the first time the Spanish under-21 midfielder has featured in a list like this. Still only 21, Bajcetic has not played senior football for 14 months because of injury.

After bursting onto the first-team scene under Jurgen Klopp in 2022-23, his career has stalled repeatedly because of injuries. He has not played for Liverpool in over two years, and his first step will be coming through pre-season unscathed.

The midfielder only has one year remaining on his contract, so this summer could be decision time for him and Liverpool. He is a homegrown player, which Liverpool do not have many of, and if he catches Iraola’s eye, that could be the start of a change in fortunes for him.

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Josh Abe

Liverpool won the battle to retain Abe after he received significant interest from a host of Premier League clubs, with one rival offering a professional contract of up to £50,000-per-week.

It shows how highly regarded the 15-year-old left-footed right winger is. He loves to carry the ball progressively and combines that with speed, agility and technical quality, making him difficult to stop.

Abe joined Liverpool’s pre-academy aged four and has always been regarded by coaches as the most gifted in his age group. Despite his age, he was invited to train with the first-team squad on several occasions last season.

Such is the excitement around Abe (who turns 16 on July 17), that upon signing his scholarship, he was given a first-team squad number for the 2026-27 season and he will be part of Liverpool’s tour to the United States. There will be playing time opportunities due to the lack of right-wing options, which will only help his development.

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Will Wright

The 18-year-old striker was signed from Salford City for around £200,000 last summer and nearly made an instant impact when he came off the bench in Liverpool’s final friendly of their 2025-26 pre-season against Athletic Club, only to see a late shot saved.

His first few months at his new club were disrupted by injury but when he returned to fitness, he impressed as the under-21s No 9 in the second half of the campaign. He scored six goals and provided five assists, and it was his all-round game which caught the eye, especially his physicality, intelligent movement and composure.

Wright occasionally trained with the first team during the latter stages of the season, and he made four Premier League matchday squads. Similar to Danns, Wright has the opportunity to earn game time and gain valuable experience.

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Kieran Morrison

The 19-year-old was handed his senior debut last season when he started on the right of Liverpool’s front three in the Carabao Cup fourth-round defeat to Crystal Palace in October.

At under-21 level, his development has been excellent. He finished the Premier League 2 campaign with 14 goals and four assists, earning a nomination for the PL2 Player of the Season award. The creative midfielder, who is used on the right, was handed the captaincy by under-21 head coach Rob Page in early 2026 and he finished the campaign by signing a new four-year deal before making his international debut for Northern Ireland.

With Mohamed Salah gone, Liverpool have a gap at right wing, which could present Morrison with a great opportunity to play substantial minutes and raise his profile. That would be beneficial for creating interest ahead of any potential loan move, which may happen later in the window.

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James McConnell

The 21-year-old central midfielder returned to action at the end of last season, playing for the under-21s and training with the first team after an injury kept him out of action for a large portion of the campaign.

McConnell moved to Ajax on loan last summer, with former Liverpool coach John Heitinga taking over the Dutch side, but he struggled for playing time. After Heitinga was sacked, he picked up an injury which saw the loan cut short in January.

The plan heading into the upcoming campaign was always for McConnell to go out on loan. The expectation is he will be on the pre-season tour, which could give him the opportunity to impress.

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Lewis Koumas

The 20-year-old forward began last season on loan at Birmingham City and finished it as part of the Hull City squad that won promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs.

He made 23 league appearances for Birmingham but only started seven of them, which was a key reason why the loan ended in January and he moved to Hull. Despite scoring on his debut — one of three league goals he scored for Hull, taking his tally to four for the season — he was unable to break into their starting XI, making just four league starts in 17 appearances.

Koumas, who has made one senior appearance, in which he scored, is likely to head on tour given the lack of attacking options before a decision is made on his future. He is a versatile forward but has been primarily used on the left, which is where Liverpool will be well-stocked when Cody Gakpo and Munoz return.

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Josh Sonni-Lambie

This tour could be an exciting opportunity for the 18-year-old striker to get a taste of senior action.

Sonni-Lambie spent last season excelling for the under-18s and was nominated for the league’s player of the season award after scoring 21 goals, one of which was from the halfway line.

He’s a versatile attacker who possesses raw pace, wants to carry the ball progressively, links playm and displays composure in front of goal. It is an opportunity for him to embrace and that could lead to a breakout moment.

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Mor Talla Ndiaye, Ifeanyi Ndukwe and other defensive options

With Virgul van Dijk on a break after the World Cup, Liverpool have only hree senior centre-backs available — Joe Gomez, Jeremy Jacquet and Giovanni Leoni — which opens the door for a youngster to step up. That includes 18-year-old Mor Talla Ndiaye, who joined in January for £1million from Senegalese side Amitie FC.

The centre-back featured for the under-21s but occasionally trained with the first team. He was named on the bench for three of Liverpool’s last four Premier League games. It would be unfair to expect too much but the defender has a number of qualities that can be nurtured.

Ndukwe was the other centre-back signed in January, arriving from Austria Vienna for £2.5million, but he could only join Liverpool after he turned 18. He has joined up with the under-21s for pre-season and a loan move for senior game time is likely this summer.

They will not be the only young centre-backs hoping to make an impression as Wellity Lucky (20), who made his senior debut last season, and Amara Nallo (19) have both been around the senior set-up in recent seasons.

Elsewhere in defence, Liverpool will have their two senior left-backs — Milos Kerkez and Kostas Tsimikas — available, which may limit the opportunities for Luke Chambers (22) and Calum Scanlon (21). The former had a successful six-month loan at Championship side Charlton Athletic last season, mainly playing centre-back, while the latter only started two league games after joining League One winners Cardiff City mid-season. Any minutes they may get could put them in the shop window for a permanent move or another loan deal.

Right-back Calvin Ramsay (22) is in a similar situation, although there may be more game-time opportunities for him because of Conor Bradley’s unclear injury status.