Jurgen Klopp sends warning to Liverpool's youngsters as 'brave decision' explained
Jurgen Klopp has dismissed suggestions the Europa League will offer more chances to younger Liverpool players, insisting they will only make the breakthrough when they are ready.
And the Reds manager has also steered clear of making any guarantees to a crop of talented teenagers ahead of the League Cup visit from Leicester City at Anfield next week.
Klopp made 11 changes for Thursday's Europa League opener at LASK as the Reds won 3-1 win Austria thanks to second-half goals from Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah.
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Despite the changes, 17-year-old Ben Doak was the only player who would generally be considered a youth prospect, although there was a return for Stefan Bajcetic, who made his 20th senior appearance after six months on the shelf with an adductor injury.
Despite the temptation to bring in a few more from the club's academy ranks, the starting XI was largely an experienced one at the Raiffeisen Arena as the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate and Kostas Tsimikas started alongside goalscorers Nunez and Diaz.
Asked if the Europa League and League Cup now presented Klopp with a chance to blood some of the younger players into the group, the Reds boss stated it was not a concern when those hopefuls made their senior breakthroughs, saying it was more important they were ready for whenever it should arrive.
"We will see now. Look, I 100% understand [the question] but it is early stages of the season, so when everyone is fit then the very young boys, we will probably not have that much game-time, that is how it is,"
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