Good chance Curtis Jones, Harvey Elliot and Neco Williams will start at least. And those 3 are the biggest talents form the youngsters right now. The 3 most ready and likely to feature in the first team moving on.
You're a good poster, I always take time to read what you've written, especially where it gives insight into German footie which I know zilch about, but not sure about the above even though the current evidence (Klopp's willingness to select them for the firsts) suggests you are right.
Until I see evidence to the contrary, Ki-Jana has a much higher ceiling than Neco, the lad's a little Rolls Royce of a footballer, but Neco is better than I'd previously thought. It's a nice 'problem' for Juergen to have in the long run.
Neco reminds a bit of Flanno in that he looks like he can cope with the physicality of top flight footie already even at a young age. Technically better and without Flanno's predilection for snapping opposition players in half with one wild swing of boots that looked like they'd been teleported from the 1970s. But still more a physical player than a technical one. Hoever looks more like a winger when he's going forward, the lad's got great feet. Depends what Klopp wants from his right back. Forget Trent, no point in even thinking about a second version of Trent, he's a one-off.
I can't quite understand why Hoever seems to have dropped out of the reckoning a little bit as he was superb pre-season. He's class. I expect it's just a lull and he'll kick on again. Only a kid still. Probably didn't help getting sent away with NL.
What I liked about Neco recently was seeing him flying in from right back to make a vital interception or block in the centre back position. Saw the danger, made up loads of ground and snuffed it out. Did it a couple of times. Very impressive. Trent also seems to have made gains in that respect recently, either cos of good analytical and coaching sessions and/or Trent is finally belatedly gathering the stamina to perform for 90 minutes over 38 games a season. During the run-in to the Real Madrid final poor old Trent looked more and more exhausted and more and more ragged game by game and looked busted with half an hour left on the clock in some of those big European games. Inexplicably hanging on against Roma when we'd had them dead and buried. Those days seem to be over though I still think we could do with giving him the odd game off here and there over the next four months.
Neco will go out next season I think. Doesn't look like playing men's footie a division or two down will cause him any difficulties at all. He may well come on a bomb for the experience where others haven't.
Curtis looks the real deal, in fact I'll invite a modicum of absolute uproar by stating I really don't see what Keita gives us that Curtis wouldn't given the same opportunities. I'm sure Curtis would score a stack more goals from the same position. He's got the power from 20 yards that Keita seems to struggle to muster from half the distance. Keita just seems way too physically feeble for my liking. No surprise he keeps breaking down. Cue uproar. It's an outrage. How very dare I. My Naby Fan Club membership has been rescinded and I'm to return my signed Keita tea towel forthwith.
Curtis's obstacle to first team is not going to be better players than him, it's going to be him. I know he's only a kid and he doesn't sound like he spent a load of time paying attention in school, bless him, but his interview after Everton was a bit cringey, it was all about him him him and how great his goal was: "People are gonna say it was a great goal" or words to that affect. Not an ounce of humility there or mention of how good his similarly aged teammates performed. I think the club have got a job on there but hopefully all good in the long run. I don't want him going anywhere near a loan. I think it'd risk messing him up. Keep him round the club, Juergen, Pepijn, role models like Milner, that's what he needs I think. Needs to develop off the field more than on it, he's just a kid. Loan in another city, nothing to do after training, bit of money in his pocket, maybe a few dickheads from whichever club take him under their wing, go out boozing etc. No ta.
We also need to sort out Curtis's best position long term. Others have said he lacks pace to play left of a front three. On the face of it I tend to agree, but maybe if the other two of the three were quick it wouldn't matter so much? Curtis and Bobby together plus AN Other, nope, probably not. Good to have threat in behind from at least 2 of the front line.
That only seems to leave one of the 8s. Although, pre-season Juergen stuck Curtis in Bobby's position for a bit, maybe only against someone like Tranmere, but the fact he played him there at all might say something. Stylistically are Curtis and Bobby miles apart? Juergen's gonna need to find his position and that aint happening if the lad's out on loan for a year or five.
There's one player who Curtis reminds me of a hell of a lot stylistically, almost caressing the ball around the pitch in apparent slow motion, mesmerising the opposition like a snake charmer would a cobra...Robert Pires. Where did he play? Wide left. Hmmm, back to that again. Who knows...
As for Elliott, similar to Curtis but opposite side of the field. Doesn't have the pace to play on the right of a three. He's impressed me most with his pass selection and vision, qualities way ahead of his age. He passes with the eye of a seasoned pro 10 years older. For me he needs to be playing midfield, yet he isn't. If Shaqiri stays in the summer - far from convinced he will - and with Minamino added to the pool of forwards, I don't see how Harvey gets a game in the next few years. I think he will go out, maybe even as early as next season, despite him only being what 17? And the chances of him coming back to LFC and forcing his way in depend on him slotting further back into midfield for me. I just can't see him making it as the right of a three up top. Not only does he not have a load of pace, he doesn't seem to have Curtis's capacity (or Harry Wilson's more pertinently) to slam one in from any sort of distance. He just doesn't look like a forward. Maybe a 10 but we don't play with a 10 and JK surely isn't going to switch from this 4-3-3 now, this is it. Every single one of the thousands of predicted switches to 4-2-3-1 "like at Dortmund" has fallen on its arse over the last 3 or 4 years and surely will continue to do so. Why piss about with a system that just wins wins wins wins wins wins...
As good as Harvey is for his age, the "for his age" and "OMG he's only SIXTEEN" stuff won't apply in a few years. His challenge is to be better then than he is now. He's got the look of a player that might plateau to me. Hopefully not. But Will Hughes came in at Derby at a similar age, we were linked, didn't make a move, neither did Chelsea, and he is now, well, Will Hughes, Watford midfielder. Jack Wilshere played like a 27-year old when he was 17 and I was thinking shit, fucking Arsenal and Wenger and their academy, this kid will be running their midfield for the next 15 years. But now it's Jack Who? Injuries of course, but I'm not sure he'd have massively pushed on from his ability at 17 anyway.
So not sure about Harvey, how it will all pan out, could well see him be one of these players that is serially loaned out year after year, like Patrick Roberts. Risks disillusionment and then the exit door, even if he is a boyhood red. Sometimes that's worse - see Bobby Duncan for example. Hopefully the likes of Victor Matos will work it all out. You can see Klopp wants the lad to succeed, and what Juergen wants he seems to get these days, he really is the man with the Midas touch.