Liverpool to take advantage of UEFA ‘loophole’ that can unleash exciting Ben Doak plan

Liverpool‘s squad list for their upcoming Europa League campaign will soo be announced.

The Reds will compete in the second tier of Europe's second-tier club competition in the 2023-24 season as a consequence of finishing fifth in the Premier League last term.

Jurgen Klopp's side have been drawn in Group E alongside Austrian side LASK, Belgian outfit Royal Union Saint-Gilloise and French club Toulouse. And when submitting their squad for the Europa League, Liverpool have a conundrum that they're posed with - as one player must be omitted.

UEFA have different rules to the Premier League when it comes to naming who can be involved in set-ups. There are two lists - List A and B. For those involved in List A, there must be no more than 17 non home-grown players and eight 'locally trained' players and two must be goalkeepers. Included in that will be the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Mo Salah, Luis Diaz and Alisson Becker along with the homegrown Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez, Curtis Jones and Caoimhin Kelleher.

List B is for under-21 players and Liverpool can include as many as they like - as long as they have been at the club for an uninterrupted period of two years. It means that Harvey Elliott can be included along with other youngsters such as Stefan Bajcetic, Jarell Quansah, Marcelo Pitaluga and quite possibly Kaide Gordon after his recent return to action following a 19-month absence.

There are 18 players currently around Klopp's set-up counted as overseas players - and one must be cut. The most likely is third-choice keeper Adrian. According to This Is Anfield, the Spaniard has indeed been left out.

There had been some concern that Ben Doak could be the unlucky figure. As he only arrived from Celtic in the summer of 2022, the 17-year-old does not count as locally trained and must be registered on List A.

Doak has made barnstorming progress in the time he's been at Anfield, scoring 11 goals and eight assists at under-18, under-19 and under-21 level in his maiden campaign. Remarkably, the winger is still eligible to feature for the under-18s, but is regarded as a fully-fledged first-team member and has made one Premier League appearance so far this term.

Plenty have suggested that the Europa League can be the tournament where he's given regular opportunities to showcase his talent and excelerate his progress. What’s more, it would also represent a chance to hand Mo Salah a rest on the right-hand side of the attack.

Klopp will have Alisson and Kelleher as his keepers, as well as Pitagula. But it is reported that UEFA rules state that ‘if a club cannot count on the services of at least two goalkeepers registered on List A because of long-term injury or illness (i.e. one that lasts 30 days), a club can temporarily replace him at any time during the season’. That means that Adrian could be drafted into the squad.