Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: Liverpool, League Two, Jurgen Klopp, Michael Owen, Preston North End
Ryan Smart
Topics: Liverpool, League Two, Jurgen Klopp, Michael Owen, Preston North End
Liverpool's youngest-ever goalscorer has joined a League Two side two years after departing Anfield on a free transfer.
The Reds' academy has been particularly fruitful in recent seasons, with Jarell Quansah, Conor Bradley, Stefan Bajcetic and Ben Doak among those to earn places in the first team squad.
All of those youngsters were brought through by Jurgen Klopp at first team level, with some of them breaking club records while doing so.
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The club's youngest goalscorer of all-time accolade still belongs to Wales international forward Ben Woodburn, who was 17 years and 45 days old when he broke Michael Owen's record by scoring in an EFL Cup tie in 2016.
Woodburn would play 11 games in all competitions in his first two seasons as a professional, before a series of loan spells at Sheffield United, Oxford United, Blackpool and Hearts.
Liverpool decided to release him in the summer of 2022, and he signed for Preston North End on an initial 12-month contract with the option of a year.
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Despite only scoring one goal in 38 Championship appearances last season, Woodburn's contract option was triggered by manager Ryan Lowe.
Last season, though, would be another difficult campaign for the Welshman, who was largely restricted to cameos and started just one of his 20 league appearances without scoring.
He was released last month, and has now joined League Two side Salford City - whom he scored against in the Carabao Cup last August.
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Salford are managed by former Liverpool academy coach Karl Robinson, who took Woodburn on loan to Oxford back in 2019.
He has moved to the Peninsula Stadium on a two-year contract, and told the club's website upon signing: "I just want to create chances and score goals. Hopefully our playing style will be fun for the fans, and hopefully we will have some good games.
"Most teams that I have been at, we've been pushing for the top end of the table, so hopefully we can do that here and get Salford back where they should be, near the top of the table."