Flanagan and Robinson Help Liverpool to Victory

Youngsters like Flanagan are beginning to make an impression at Anfield

Liverpool thrashed Birmingham 5-0 yesterday with the help from some of their youth contingent.

17-year-old Jack Robinson replaced Fabio Aurelio at left-back and 18-year-old John Flanagan started at right-back and both played a big part in keeping a clean sheet for Kenny Dalglish’s men.

A hat-trick from Maxi Rodriguez and goals from Joe Cole and Dirk Kuyt sealed the win for the Merseyside club.

Jack Robinson

Jack Robinson is the youngest ever player to appear in a Liverpool shirt. At 16 years and 250 days, he replaced Ryan Babel against Hull City last season to beat Max Thompson’s previous record.

He was rewarded for some good form in the youth and reserve sides with a squad number for this season. He was given the number 49 shirt and his second appearance for the club in the Premier League came last weekend as he replaced the injured Fabio Aurelio against Arsenal. BBC Sport included him in Garth Crooks team of the week as a reward for his exploits during the game.

Robinson is known as a tough tackler that can easily keep up with the toughness and roughness of Premier League encounters.

Everyone at Liverpool believes he possesses the talent, attitude and commitment to go really far in the game. He has represented England at every level up to the under 19s and can go very far if he continues to develop in the manner he is already.

John Flanagan

John Flanagan debutized for Liverpool a few weeks ago against Manchester City and has since retained his place in the first team for games against Arsenal and Manchester City.

As with Robinson, Flanagan is known for his tough tackling at full-back. But he is also known for his aerial ability and composure on the ball.

He accidentally knocked out Jamie Carragher in a collision between the teammates last weekend at the Emirates. However, there are no harsh feelings between the pair and he will continue to provide cover for the long-term injuries of Glen Johnson and Martin Kelly.

Insiders at Liverpool claim that Flanagan has the mental ability to go far and have been impressed by various incidents where he has demonstrated his impeccable discipline and maturity.

Others to watch

Raheem Stirling is an obvious talent that will make his Liverpool debut sooner rather than later. The 17-year-old is part of the England Under 17s set up that will travel to the European Championships and hopefully the World Cup this summer.

Conor Coady was on the bench for Liverpool in the Birmingham game and has got their by impressing throughout the ranks at Liverpool. Coady captained the England side that triumphed in the European Under 17 Championship last summer in Liechenstein.

Follow The Youth Radar to keep an eye on the progress of these boys and see how they develop.