LIVERPOOL have announced their squad for the Europa League – with Jurgen Klopp forced to leave Adrian out.
Youngster Ben Doak swooped in to snatch the “A list” place due to UEFA rules pushing him into the Red’s senior squad.
ReutersAdrian has been dropped from Liverpool’s Europa League squad[/caption]
ReutersLiverpool starlet Ben Doak has made the cut for the Reds’ senior squad[/caption]
Liverpool will spend their first campaign outside of the Champions League since 2016.
Doak, 17, has made the headlines recently for the Scotland U21 team after his impressive performance against Spain went viral.
Meanwhile, Premier League winner and third-choice shot-stopper Adrian has been exiled from the Europa League team sheet.
The deadline recently passed for clubs to provide their squad list to UEFA, with a maximum of 25 players permitted to be on the A list of players.
A minimum of eight of those spots must be allocated to “locally trained” players – with a maximum of four “association trained”.
This means Liverpool had to elect eight players who were trained by clubs from the same national league from ages 15-21- with four of them being from the club’s own youth system.
Teams can also register an unlimited number of players on their B list, which comprises players born on or after January 1st, 2002, who have spent at least two years at their respective clubs.
Those restrictions left Klopp with a tough decision to make as he was required to cut one foreign player from his selection following the signing of Ryan Gravenberch.
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Unlucky for Adrian he was the chosen man to be swiped from the squad.
But lucky for teen Doak, who turns 18 in November, and has only been registered with Liverpool since the summer of 2022, he is neither List B eligible or considered ‘locally trained’.
The Liverpool starlet spent his youth career at Scottish sides Ayr United and Celtic.
And with Scotland not being part of the English FA, Doak had to take up one of 17 “foreign” slots in Liverpool’s squad for the Europa League.
Adrian still has hope as a loophole in the UEFA rule book confirms he could feature in the event of long-term injury to Alisson or Caoimhin Kelleher.
Otherwise, there are no surprises in Liverpool’s squad to play in the double-headers with LASK, Union SG and Toulouse.
The Reds were drawn in Group E and will get their campaign underway at LASK on September 21st.