Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is prepared to give youth a chance in their FA Cup tie at Wolves but it may be a little too early for academy prospect Ki-Jana Hoever.
The 16-year-old defender has been training with the first team after making rapid progress through the youth sides and while there is a possibility of him travelling with the squad to Molineux, Klopp is unsure whether he will see any action.
“He’s one for the future, of course. But what we will do with him now for the game, I don’t know,” said Klopp.
“If Joel (Matip) and Joe (Gomez) would have been fit all the time now then probably Ki-Jana would not have been in training. Now he was in and still is in, it’s just a joy to watch him.
“He’s an incredible, confident, young fella and he’s really a good player on top. That we can see him day in, day out is really cool.
“For sure for the future. When the future starts? I don’t know. But he’s in, he learns a lot, he improves and it will happen automatically.
“It’s a nice prospect for the next month and years. I don’t know (whether he will be involved for Wolves). We will see.”
The progress of the Dutch youth international is one of the reasons Klopp was happy to let former England right-back Nathaniel Clyne go out on loan to Bournemouth on Friday.
Although he currently only has Trent Alexander-Arnold as a recognised right-back until Gomez recovers from a fractured bone in his foot the German was relaxed about allowing a senior player to leave.
“He is in an age where he has to play. He came and asked if he can go. I thought about it and said: ‘Yes you can’,” said Klopp.
“We have other options, younger boys coming up. You can always keep a player but to keep him in the right shape and with the right amount of confidence that’s not always easy.”
Ki-Jana Hoever (r).
Klopp is likely to take under-23 players Curtis Jones and Rafael Camacho, both of whom have been training with the first team for more than a year now, with him to the West Midlands.
Neither has yet made their senior debut but could be in the squad at Molineux.
“Curtis is another good example, he’s just a fantastic player. He is now with us since February last year and it’s just brilliant to have them around,” Klopp added.
“If you could see them every day then you would see how big steps they make.
“Rafa Camacho is the same. We have a lot of these young boys constantly around and I’m really happy about that, but they have all the time in the world.
“They are really young and it is not about pushing them into a situation.
“The good thing is that if one of these boys will play on Monday, then it is all my responsibility.
“They only have the opportunity to show up and play football and all the things that don’t work are my responsibility and my fault because then I made the wrong decision and they were not ready, that’s how it is.
“But it would not be a problem for the future, only a problem for the moment.
“So they are here, in the right place and it’s absolutely nice to have them around.”