‘Excellent again’: Barry Lewtas hails 19-year-old Liverpool centre-back, shone for U23s last night

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Liverpool academy coach Barry Lewtas has waxed lyrical about Tom Clayton following his impressive display for the Reds Under-23s in the Premier League 2 last night.

The 19-year-old, a centre-back by trade, scored the winner for Liverpool’s U23s in their 1-0 victory over their Arsenal counterparts at Boreham Wood.

The Reds took the lead in the 29th minute when Clayton, lining up as a holding midfielder in the absence of the suspended Leighton Clarkson, broke the deadlock with a superb effort from outside the box.

Aside from his goal, Clayton carried out his defensive duties diligently and ensured that Liverpool held on for victory against a Gunners side featuring the likes of Folarin Balogun and William Saliba.

“It was an unlikely 1-0 Tom Clayton winner!” Lewtas told the Liverpool website after the game. “Fair play to Tom, it was a superb finish and I was really pleased with him. He was excellent again.”

Clayton, described by the Reds website as a hard-working player who’s good on the ball and with a personality to match, began his Liverpool journey at Under-9s level and signed his first professional contract with the Reds in 2019.

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With Virgil van Dijk ruled out long-term,Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has some thinking to do when it comes to bolstering his central defensive ranks ahead of the January transfer window opening.

Fabinho is out injured as well, while Joel Matip is also a doubt for this weekend, so the potential for some youth players to feature in first-team training with a view to making matchday squads is certainly there.

And with such a good performance from the versatile Clayton in a tough fixture last night and plaudits from his manager, this could well be something for Klopp and his coaches to ponder.