In the face of an already-secured spot in the Europa League's last 16, Liverpool has taken the opportunity to allow some of its key players a breather. Jürgen Klopp, Liverpool's manager, could give an 18-year-old forward his first game for Liverpool against Union Saint-Gilloise in the upcoming Europa League match on Thursday.
Lewis Koumas' inclusion in the 23-man squad for their concluding group match in Belgium comes as Liverpool has secured its position at the top of Group E. This allows Klopp to give some of his regular first-team players a rest before Sunday's match. Among those getting a break are Alisson Becker, Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and captain Virgil van Dijk, while Alexis Mac Allister is out due to injury.
Football enthusiasts might recognize the name Koumas. Lewis is the son of Jason Koumas, a former Premier League star who played for West Brom and Wigan and earned 34 senior caps for Wales between 2001 and 2009. Jason Koumas also played for Tranmere and Cardiff in the English Football League and began his career at Liverpool before moving to Tranmere in 1998.
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Lewis Koumas has been with Liverpool since 2016 when he transferred from Tranmere. He has made appearances three times for Liverpool's U23 side in the EFL Trophy this season — playing against Morecambe, Barrow, and Bradford — and debuted for Wales at U19 level earlier this year.
The young player was born in Chester, an English town on the Welsh border. He trained with Liverpool's first-team squad last July and expressed his ambition to make his debut.
Koumas, who netted 16 times at youth level last season and who was involved in the summer pre-season with Klopp's senior side, is the youngest member of Liverpool's squad traveling for the Union SG match. Other young talents like Luke Chambers, Ben Doak, Kaide Gordon, and Jarell Quansah are also joining him. Conor Bradley, who spent last season on loan at Bolton, might play alongside Quansah.
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Tom Hill, who made his senior debut four years ago, is also part of the squad. The 21-year-old midfielder had been out for 20 months after a knee operation in September 2020. James McConnell, 19, and Calum Scanlon, 18, are other promising players in the traveling party.
Young goalkeepers Marcelo Pitaluga and Fabian Mrozek, both 20, will be on standby in case Caoimhín Kelleher suffers an injury. Despite Klopp's reliance on Liverpool's prolific academy for the trip to Belgium, he has also named several senior stars in his squad. Joe Gomez, Ibrahima Konaté, Dominik Szoboszlai, Darwin Núñez, Luis Díaz, and Cody Gakpo could all be involved on Thursday.
Liverpool's 23-man squad to face Union Saint-Gilloise:Caoimhín Kelleher, Marcelo Pitaluga, Fabian Mrozek; Joe Gomez, Ibrahima Konaté, Kostas Tsimikas, Luke Chambers, Jarell Quansah, Conor Bradley, Calum Scanlon; Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch, Wataru Endō, Curtis Jones, Harvey Elliott, James McConnell, Tom Hill; Darwin Núñez, Luis Díaz, Cody Gakpo, Lewis Koumas, Ben Doak, Kaide Gordon.
Liverpool.com says: Whether Koumas plays a part in the game or not, traveling and being a part of the squad will be a massive experience for him. Having not long turned 18, the teenager still has a lot of developing to do but he appears to be heading in the right direction.
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