Liverpool's Youngsters: Carling Cup Contenders?

We have heard much in the last few years of the wonders of Arsene Wenger's youth policy at Arsenal, but meanwhile Rafael Benitez has been assembling a group of young players he believes are a match for anyone.

Liverpool's youth team have won the FA Youth Cup for the last two years now, and Gary Ablett's Liverpool Reserve team consists almost entirely of youth players who graduate from the academy every year.

Rafa Benitez made youth recruitment one of his top priorities when he took on the Liverpool job four years ago, and since then he has signed well over 30 young players, most of whom the wider public know nothing about—until now.

When David Ngog scored his second goal in as many games yesterday against Valerenga, Rafa was quick to say how pleased he is with his scouting department. Ngog is one of the older players he has recruited, at 19, and he will challenge for a place in the first team.

But who else should you look out for in next year's Carling Cup?

Jay Spearing has captained the youth team to cup glory and is a rough and ready, all action midfielder. He encompasses al that it is to be a Liverpool player and has a bright future in the game.

Dani Pacheco is a 17 year old Spaniard who was whisked away from under the noses of Barcelona last summer, much to their chagrin. He has lightning feet and a quick eye for a pass, and reminds me of Platini in style.

Gerardo Bruna, a young Argentinean playmaker, who links play between the midfield and the attack and possesses a mean shot.

Damien Plessis, who made a most impressive first team debut away at Arsenal last season, is a defensive midfielder who draws comparisons to Patrick Vieira, not just through appearance.

Krisztian Nemeth is a free scoring striker who made most reserve team defences look like seives last year, and will surely get his opportunity at a higher level this year.

Emiliano Insuahas also had a share of first team experience and is an Argentinian left back who loves to press forward and support the attack whenever possible, but still displays that typical Argentinian trait of loving a good, hard tackle.

I could go on, but you start to get the idea pretty quickly. I can't wait for the Carling Cup this year—don't be surprised when you hear rave reviews about some of these names come October.

Apparently you don't win anything with kids—we'll see.