Liverpool teenager Rhian Brewster has been included in the senior squad for the massive Champions League semi-final clash with Barcelona on Wednesday night.
The 19-year-old (pictured with Adam Lallana), who signed a five-year contract with the Reds last July, has yet to make a senior appearance for the club and only recently returned from over a year on the sidelines following surgery on his ankle.
“He is the next really exciting prospect,” Klopp told the official club website on Tuesday. “If you see him training… next season will be his season, his first real season."
Klopp praises Rhian Brewster's development
Klopp's first choice strike trio, Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mané and Roberto Firmino, are not expected to feature too much in this summer's pre-season excursions so Brewster could be given his chance and Klopp feels he is ready for that and his European experience this week.
“He is now physically an adult," added the German. "He grew a lot, he worked a lot and the training session today was, to be honest, pretty impressive.
“He is with us, he is our player and we want to have him around. In this case I thought, ‘Come on, it’s Barcelona, let’s give him a first sniff!’”
The squad was given a massive boost ahead of their meeting with Messi & co. with Firmino returning to train with the squad as they seek to get to European football's showpiece final for a second successive season.
However Klopp admitted that the Brazilian striker, who suffered a minor muscle tear ahead of the Premier League win against Huddersfield last Friday, is still a doubt.
“We all knew from the beginning it would be a race. We don’t have to make a decision today because there’s no game today, we can wait. It looked good so far but until tomorrow I have to make that decision – after lunchtime tomorrow. That’s what I will do."
The German has confirmed that both Fabinho and Alex Oxlaide-Chamberlain are both fully fit.
Liverpool squad for Barcelona: Fabinho, Van Dijk, Wijnaldum, Lovren, Milner, Keita, Firmino, Mane, Salah, Gomez, Alisson, Henderson, Sturridge, Moreno, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Mignolet, Shaqiri, Brewster, Robertson, Origi, Matip, Kelleher, Alexander-Arnold.
