Jurgen Klopp promotes Billy Koumetio for first-team training session

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Liverpool teenager Billy Koumetio has been training with the first-team ahead of the midweek cup clash.

Arsenal and Liverpool meet in the EFL Cup Fourth Round at Anfield on Wednesday night. Jurgen Klopp is expected to make several changes to rotate his squad and keep his options fresh.

A number of youngsters were included in the first-team training session and they will be eyeing a rare senior game chance. Herbie Kane, Pedro Chirivella, Leighton Clarkson and Sepp van den Berg were among the players joining the first-team for the latest session.

But a surprise face was spotted in the background of one of the pictures. James Milner is warming up and behind him is Koumetio – the U18 centre-back.

Who is Koumetio?

Koumetio is a highly-rated young defender who joined Liverpool from Orleans in 2018. He predominantly operates as a left-sided centre-back in the U18 team but he has also played in the UEFA Youth League for the U19s.

In the U19 UEFA Youth League 2-0 win over Genk, the 16-year-old was brought on for one minute. He had sat on the bench for the other two games. And now he finds himself with a chance to impress Klopp.

TBR’s view

Koumetio is a promising player for the future but he is surely not going to make his first-team debut against Arsenal. Even with other young defenders like Ki-Jana Hoever out, there are other options for Klopp to use.

The France U17 defender has not even made his U23 debut for Liverpool yet. He will have to do that first before Klopp fast-tracks him into the senior squad.