Liverpool forced into Europa League squad omission in order to select wonderkid Ben Doak
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Liverpool have had to leave out a first-team member in order to include young star Ben Doak in their Europa League squad.
After what was a disastrous 22/23 season, Liverpool failed to qualify for the Champions League as they finished fifth in the Premier League.
As a result, Jurgen Klopp’s men will have to settle for the Europa League during the 23/24 campaign.
With the summer transfer window now closed, teams have to finalise their playing squads for the season ahead.
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However, Klopp has had to make a difficult call due to the different rules in the Premier League and UEFA competitions.
Whilst he is able to be included as an U21 player for the Premier League, Doak is only eligible to feature on List A alongside foreign stars for UEFA competitions.
Therefore, Klopp had to leave one player out as there were only 17 spots available when he had 18 players to choose from.
According to This Is Anfield, third-choice goalkeeper Adrian has been left out of the Europa League squad in favour of Doak.
17-year-old Doak has been attracting a lot of attention after his impressive cameos this season.
It’s clear that Klopp rates him highly after he brought the young Scotsman on for Mohamed Salah against Chelsea last month.
However, Liverpool can still call on Adrian if they need to due to a loophole.
The rules state that if any of the named goalkeepers is hampered by long-term injury or illness, a replacement can be called upon.
If the likes of Alisson or Caoimhin Kelleher sustain an injury or illness, Adrian will probably be called up by Liverpool.
Ahead of the Europa League starting later in the month, Liverpool have been drawn into Group E alongside LASK, Toulouse and Union Saint Gilloise.
Liverpool will begin their campaign against LASK on September 21.
Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: Liverpool, Europa League, Football
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