England international confirms he's leaving Liverpool

Liverpool have lost an England youth international who spent nine years at the club.

This is an era of change at Anfield. Richard Hughes and Michael Edwards have really started to put their own stamp on the team.

Their activity in the summer window was clear. They sold a lot of players who became key stars under Jurgen Klopp and brought in many new faces.

Most importantly, Liverpool signed young players. The vast majority of the signings apart from Alexander Isak and Jeremie Frimpong were all under the age of 23.

Even Isak and Frimpong are not exactly old at 26 and 25 years old. They are still very much in their prime.

But ultimately there has clearly been a bigger picture in place for Hughes and Edwards. They don't just care about this season but they want to build a new dynasty and that takes time.

Rome was not built in a day. Liverpool will likely need time to get to the level they want to be. There are players who are still adjusting to the rhythm of the Premier League.

There are other players who are yet to hit their prime and still developing. What is clear is that there is going to be a stronger focus on youth players and integrating them into the first-team in the coming years.

Right now there is an abundance of talent at Liverpool's U18 and U21 sides.

Joshua Abe looks destined to follow Rio Ngumoha's footsteps if he agrees scholarship terms with the club. Behind him Erik Farkas is also regarded as a super talent and there's also the exciting goal-scorer Josh Sonni-Lambie.

Meanwhile, Haydn Murray-Holme has established himself as one of the best young midfielders in the U18 Premier League.

All of them have the potential to reach the first-team and they are not alone.

Farkas and Abe are part of an exciting U16 generation. This generation also includes England U17 international Liam Balmer and U16 England internationals Shadrach Ekiugbo and Vincent Joseph.

It's the former who has now confirmed that surprisingly, despite being a very talented player in this group, he is leaving the club.

Balmer who has been representing England at U17 level this season confirmed on his Instagram that after nine years he will be moving onto pastures new.

It is understood that the youngster was not offered scholarship terms by the club, which is a bit of a surprise.

He is now expected to move to Leeds United at the end of the season. There is a chance that Ekiugbo, Joseph and Abe could all follow him as well, with none of them having agreed to scholarship terms yet.

The future of Farkas also hangs in the balance.

So, Liverpool really need to make sure they don't lose more talent. There is a dynasty to be built and Hughes and Edwards need these kinds of players.

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