Ben Woodburn Discussed by Jurgen Klopp After Liverpool Beat Leeds in EFL Cup

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has called for calm after Ben Woodburn became the youngest goalscorer in the club’s history on Tuesday night. 

The 17-year-old netted for the Reds in the EFL Cup quarter-final against Leeds United in a 2-0 win and triggered a furore over his potential.

However, speaking after the contest, Klopp played down the influence of the youngster and suggested he could have finished the chance himself, per Dominic King of MailOnline:

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I don’t think it makes sense that I say the obvious. First of all I said to him: "Well done but it’s not too difficult—I would have scored too!" That is maybe the truth! Nothing we say here is important enough that it would help Ben Woodburn or myself.

We know how to handle the situation. I know I can say to you whatever I want but if he scores goals, it’s very difficult to stay cool from your side. It was very important that we could have him on the bench and bring him into the game because of our situation in the offensive department.

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The youngster posted the following on his Twitter feed after he broke the record previously held by Michael Owen:

Woodburn has been considered a bright prospect at Anfield for a while. He was part of the Reds’ pre-season squad, scoring in a 5-0 win over Fleetwood Town.

The Chester-born forward has shown in his brief appearances in a Liverpool shirt that he’s talented. As Klopp noted, the chance he finished off was relatively routine, although the movement around the penalty area and the way in which he linked up the play were smart.

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Tony Barrett of Joe.co.uk is surprised the youngster has taken this long to make an impact in the Reds first team:

But, as Klopp noted, it’s important for there to be perspective when assessing the influence the youngster can have. After all, it’s been a long time since a local academy prospect made his way through the setup at Anfield to become a first-team regular; one of the most recent was former captain Steven Gerrard, who retired from the game last week.

Indeed, in the same competition in 2014-15, Jordan Rossiter—another player tipped for big things—made his debut for the Reds and scored as a 17-year-old. Since then, he has failed to kick on and is now plying his trade for Rangers in the Scottish Premiership.

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A youngster performing well can invigorate a club, though, and Keith Costigan of Fox Sports thinks Woodburn’s impact can inspire others:

It would be a big surprise if we were to see Woodburn in the first team for the remainder of the campaign. After all, Liverpool have a lot of options in attack, and if it hadn’t been for knocks to Philippe Coutinho, Adam Lallana and Daniel Sturridge, he may not have been involved against Leeds.

However, he’s a player worth getting excited about and, after breaking such a prestigious record, Reds supporters are within their rights to do so. For Klopp, he won’t be a key man yet, but Woodburn has something to offer as a potential wild card.