Five Liverpool wonderkids who will EXPLODE in pre-season

Pre-season is just around the corner and here are five young talents you need to keep an eye on this summer.

Arne Slot's men will begin their preparations on the 7th July. The Dutchman is expected to give a handful of the club's young players an opportunity to catch the eye in pre-season.

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There will be six new faces arriving at the AXA training centre next week, as new signings Florian Wirtz, Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong, Armin Pecsi, Giorgi Mamardashvili and Freddie Woodman link-up with their new teammates for the first time.

But as well as those new additions, Slot is expected to hand opportunities to a select few talented young players from the club's academy.

Anfield Watch takes a look at the potential names who could be involved, including an exciting young centre-back, two dazzling wingers, a potent striker and an exciting midfielder.

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Trey Nyoni

He's been regularly training with the club's first team since Arne Slot took charge of the Reds. Nyoni was a breakout star in pre-season last year and now he's expected to kick-on.

He's just penned a new deal at Liverpool after celebrating his 18th birthday. Still extremely young, it's important to note that at this stage in his career Steven Gerrard had not even made his debut for the club.

In contrast, Nyoni already has six senior appearances under his belt, and he's already registered an assist - for Federico Chiesa's goal against Accrington Stanley.

The pass to Chiesa in that game summed up Nyoni's best qualities. He's always looking to progress the ball into the final third and makes those penetrative passes to break the lines.

There are shades of an exciting deep-lying playmaker about Nyoni. Although he can also play further forward.

Rio Ngumoha

Everyone is looking to catch more glimpses of him in action. After making his debut and becoming Liverpool's youngest ever starter last season against Accrington, it was obvious why securing Ngumoha from Chelsea was considered to be such a major coup.

Over the course of last season, Ngumoha has regularly been training with Slot's first team and catching the eye at U21 level.

Probably one of the best young players to have ever played at academy level for the club when it comes to his one vs one ability, Ngumoha averaged around 13 dribbles per 90 minutes for the club's youth sides last season. Impressively, he completed over 60% of his efforts.

He does need to refine his decision making in the final third, but there are signs that side of his game is developing as well. He netted a brace in Liverpool's final U21 game against Aston Villa and then played a key role for England at the U17 European Championships, registering a crucial assist against Italy.

Ngumoha is still only 16-years-old, he's extremely young but his potential is really exciting. Pre-season could be his moment to shine.

Ben Doak

On the other flank the flying Scotsman could be in for a key pre-season. Slot is looking to bolster his options in attack and with Chiesa expected to depart, there is an opening for a youngster to fill the minutes vacated by the Italian.

Doak will be returning to Liverpool on the back of a solid season in the Championship. He ranked in the top five for dribbles attempted (6.7 per 90 minutes) and he had the fourth best dribble success rate among players who attempted at least six dribblers per 90 minutes (56.64%).

Capable of playing on both flanks, Doak could prove to be a major asset to Slot, who wants to add more speed to his team. He's only 19-years-old, and like Ngumoha he still needs to work on his end-product in the final third, but there is a lot to like already.

As a back-up option to Mohamed Salah, Doak could be a useful player to have in the team to bring on against tired defences. Pre-season will be his opportunity to showcase that he's good enough for that role.

Wellity Lucky

As we approach the start of the new season, Liverpool have just three senior centre-back with Jarell Quansah set to leave in Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Ibrahima Konate.

Wataru Endo can play in the role, too, but the chances are Slot will be testing out some of the club's younger players as well. Amara Nallo may be the first option, however, Lucky is a name to keep an eye on.

He's an excellent defender, who can cover a lot of ground and has also played as a full-back at academy level. Slot needs players who are comfortable in possession, and Lucky has shown he can be that player, averaging a 94% pass completion rate last season - which was the best for Liverpool's U21 side.

Despite having strong interest in his services from a host of clubs, Liverpool managed to convince Lucky to stay and it's now expected he will be given an increased role.

That will involve being given the opportunity to showcase his talent in the first team this summer. After that, much will depend on what Liverpool decide to do in the centre-back position and whether Marc Guehi will be signed.

If that deal happens, we expect Lucky to potentially head out on loan.

Jayden Danns

He faces a race against time to be fit for pre-season after missing the second half of the campaign due to an injury, which meant he was unable to make an appearance while on loan at Sunderland.

Danns, though has a golden chance to build on the impressive first impressions he's left on Slot. Last season, when fit, Slot always wanted to keep Danns around the first team. The Dutchman is a huge admirer of him, and Danns showed just why when he netted against Accrington Stanley just minutes after coming on to score his third goal in a Liverpool shirt.

With the club's future in the no.9 position looking uncertain, this is an opportunity in pre-season for Danns to make his mark and try to stake a claim for a spot in the first team squad.

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He's got all the ability to be able to do that. Linking up with the likes of Wirtz and Salah, will only make him a better and more prolific forward. And that's why he's one to keep a close eye on.