Liverpool are continuing to assess which midfielder to sign next and the UEFA U21 European Championship offers a perfect stage to decide
Any supporters wanting to see the next generation of Liverpool’s midfield in action would be wise to turn their attention to Romania and Georgia next week.
And not just because Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott will be hoping to help England to glory in the UEFA U21s European Championships under the leadership of former Everton man Lee Carsley.
The two players were able, at various points, to stake their claims last season and, with Jones still only 22 and Elliott 20, remain among the options available to Jurgen Klopp in a new-look engine room during the forthcoming campaign.
Liverpool completed the first step of their summer refit with the signing of Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton last week, with the 24-year-old Argentina international to be followed by one or possibly two more midfielders.
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The names high on the Reds’ wanted list clearly point to a particular profile of player, one already proven to a certain level and with the room to grow both their own potential and that of their team, and preferably more an all-rounder than specialist in any single engine room position
And the leading four contenders will all be in action in the forthcoming Euros. Liverpool, of course, will have been monitoring their development and progress over several months and years, and assessed their viability not only in terms of pure talent but also the realistic possibility of prising them from their current clubs. The Reds have done their homework.
But while the forthcoming tournament in Romania and Georgia is not in any means an audition, it will provide further such evidence and allow fans to run their own personal rule over the potential signings.
Two are in the same team. Khephren Thuram of Nice and Manu Kone of Borussia Moenchengladbach, both 22, are in the France squad after impressive domestic campaigns, with the former having already broken into his country’s senior set-up.
France start their group programme against Italy next Thursday, before further games against Norway and Switzerland. The duo are likely to go deep into the competition, with France among the favourites.
Bayern Munich’s 21-year-old Ryan Gravenberch is in the Holland party, with the Dutch taking on Belgium, Portugal and co-hosts Georgia in their group. And Celta Vigo’s highly-rated midfielder Gabri Veiga, 21, can expect minutes with Spain, who are up against co-hosts Romania, Croatia and Ukraine.
The U21 Euros have long offered a showcase, most recently two years ago when Ibrahima Konate skippered France in a quarter-final defeat to Holland mere days after his move to Liverpool was confirmed.
