4 weeks ago
Liverpool has named three relatively untried youngsters in its 2024-25 UEFA Champions League squad as excitement builds for the revamped competition.
The Reds are back on European football's biggest stage for the first time since the 2022–23 campaign, where a fifth-place finish in the Premier League that year left them battling it out in the Europa League last season.
But a third-place finish in the top flight in 2023-24 means Liverpool has returned to where it belongs, although there is a slightly different format to contend with this time around as a 36-team league phase replaces the traditional group stage.
The Reds were drawn with Real Madrid, RB Leipzig, Bayer Leverkusen, AC Milan, Lille, PSV Eindhoven, Bologna, and Girona in last week's draw, before the exact dates and times for each opponent were revealed on Saturday.
Arne Slot has named his squad list to take on those eight teams over the next few months, with three youngsters on course to make their debuts in the competition after being selected by the Dutchman.
Ahead of Liverpool's first league phase fixture away to AC Milan at the San Siro on September 17, Slot has named academy trio Thomas Hill, Amara Nallo, and Trey Nyoni on the club's 24-man squad list submitted to UEFA.
It represents a major opportunity for the three players, who will be looking to break into Slot's Premier League matchday squads on a more regular basis following their inclusion in the Champions League 'Player List A', where a maximum of 25 players can be included.Wales Under-21 international midfielder Hill made his professional debut for Liverpool in December 2019, aged just 16, when he started in the 5-0 loss away to Aston Villa in the EFL Cup quarterfinals. Now 21, he will be hoping to add to his single first-team appearance.
England U-18 defender Nyoni is yet to make his senior bow for the Reds but was included in the matchday squads to face Southampton in the FA Cup Fifth Round in February and Manchester City in the Premier League in March.
As for Nyoni, he is a slightly more high-profile name, having impressed for Liverpool during pre-season after making his first-team debut earlier this year, becoming the club's youngest ever player to feature in the FA Cup, aged 16 years and 243 days, when appearing as a second-half substitute in February's 3-0 win over Southampton.
All the usual household names have been named in Liverpool's Champions League squad, but several members of the first team—including Conor Bradley, Harvey Elliott, and Jarell Quansah—do not need to be included on List A due to their ages and club-trained status.
Alexander-Arnold, Alisson, Chiesa, Diaz, Endo, Gakpo, Gomez, Gravenberch, Hill, Jaros, Jones, Jota, Kelleher, Konate, Mac Allister, Morton, Nallo, Nunez, Nyoni, Robertson, Salah, Szoboszlai, Tsimikas, Van Dijk.