Jurgen Klopp is on record claiming that Liverpool should not be facing Manchester City immediately after an international break.
The manager is undoubtedly right. The clashes between the best two teams of the past five years have often been some of the highlights of the Premier League season in recent times. An early kick-off at this stage of the campaign has the potential to dilute that.
It also means that both teams could come into the game a little undercooked. With first-team stars flung across the world, training can be difficult for manager’s to structure.
However, one such benefit is that it can give young players the chance to step in and make up the numbers. Speaking in his pre-match press conference today, Klopp suggested that that chance was given to young Kaide Gordon this week, as he continues to recover from long-term injury.
“Only the long-term absentees are still out, no new concerns before I entered this room,” said the boss, after being asked about the fitness of his side.
“Conor Bradley completed normal in training but now he needs to play games, starting with the U21s. Kaide Gordon trained with us all week, which is really exciting, looks really good. [He] is now to gain minutes, but I think that’s it.”
Klopp brings Gordon back
If Gordon can return to the kind of level he was at before his injury at the start of 2022, he’ll be in Klopp’s plans.
The manager liked what he saw from Gordon as a 17-year-old. By that young age, the former Derby County prospect looked set to be a fixture in the first-team.
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But then came the injury. And as a result of various set-backs since then, the forward hadn’t featured in a Liverpool squad since January 2022 before making the bench against Toulouse two weeks ago.
However, Klopp isn’t one to forget and disregard young players because of injury. If he can get up to speed, you can imagine Gordon will be given a chance to prove himself again.
With a couple of Europa League group games still to come, you get the feeling that could end up being that chance for Kaide.
Do well, and he can pick up where he left off with the senior squad.
As Jurgen points out, he does need minutes having missed a lot of football of late. But once he’s got those games in his legs with the underage sides, don’t be surprised to see Gordon become a regular in matchday squads once again.
In the short-term it may count against the teenager that Liverpool’s front line is so stacked. This season he needs to focus on getting back match fit, before a loan potentially awaits next year. Great to have you back, Kaide.