Who is Liam Balmer? The Liverpool wonderkid who just got his first England call

Liverpool have plenty of wonderkids, and the latest of them to keep an eye on is Liam Balmer.

The beginning of the new season has marked a significant milestone in his fledgling career with a call-up to England's U17 team.

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The 16-year-old full-back, who has been part of Liverpool’s youth system since the Under-9 level and signed his first contract in the presence of Trent Alexander-Arnold, subsequently made his debut for England’s Under-17s in a 2-1 win over Venezuela.

Balmer produced a composed and confident performance, under tough circumstances with the game being abandoned for just under an hour due to alleged racist remarks being made to some of England's young stars.

Balmer's performance in the game was obviously overshadowed by what had transpired. He'll also have the opportunity to play Isreal and Germany in the mini-tournament taking place in Dusseldorf.

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For even academy observers at Liverpool, Balmer's call-up was a surprise. He had been selected alongside Erik Farkas, who was expected to be involved.

We wrote about Farkas and his exciting talent, having also been involved at U16 level for England. But little is known about Balmer.

The left-back caught the eye against the J.League select for Liverpool's U16 team during the summer.

His call-up to Ryan Garry’s squad was the result of months of consistent form at youth level as well, catching the eye for the U16s, not just in those games in Japan but in the league as well.

Comfortable on either side of defence but most often deployed as a right-back, he has impressed coaches at Liverpool with his positional awareness, athleticism, and ability on the ball.

He's not a headline-grabber but he's very technically gifted and tenacious when it comes to his defending. Right now, he's isn't the tallest player.

Even against J.League's select he was one of the shortest on the pitch, but he's got a brilliant low-centre of gravity and strength in his lower body that makes him able to win a lot of his duels.

There's a lot of competition at full-back for Liverpool's U18 side. DJ Esdaile is very highly rated at right-back and Lenix Conde coming through is also well-thought of.

So, breaking into that team will not be easy for Balmer but he's definitely a player to keep an eye on. For now, his focus remains on maintaining his momentum within Liverpool’s academy and consolidating his place in the England U17 setup, with the Three Lions playing at the World Cup later this year in Qatar.

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