Liverpool have named the youngest team in their entire history with the XI picked to start against Plymouth in Sunday’s FA Cup tie.
The club’s official website commented: “We’ve had it confirmed by club statistician Ged Rea that today’s starting line-up is the youngest ever in the club’s history at an average age of 21 years and 296 days.
“That beats the 22 years and 303 days of the team that defeated Wolves 3-1 at Molineux in the fixture prior to the 1965 FA Cup final.”
Reds boss Jurgen Klopp has handed starts to teenagers Joe Gomez, Sheyi Ojo, Ovie Ejaria, Trent Arnold, and Ben Woodburn.
“I choose this line-up because I want to go to next round,” Klopp told BT Sport ahead of the game.
“For me, it is a big opportunity for these boys. We have players on the pitch who really want to play today.”
Welsh forward Woodburn made Liverpool history in November, scoring his first ever Reds goal just three days after his debut to become the club’s youngest-ever goalscorer at 17 years and 45 days old.
After his incredible debut week, Woodburn was heavily praised by his team-mates, with Lucas Leiva tipping him for greatness.
“He is a brilliant young player,” Lucas said. “He just needs to keep learning, keep improving. A goal will give him confidence to keep learning, to keep going.”
Lucas’s inclusion in Liverpool’s XI against Plymouth brings up the average age of the team. The Brazilian midfielder will celebrate his 30th birthday on Monday, January 9.
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