Liverpool announce new contract for 19-year-old defender

Liverpool have announced that 19-year-old defender Calum Scanlon has signed a new contract with the Reds.

The 2005-born left-back previously plied his trade with Birmingham City before leaving to join Liverpool's academy ranks in 2021, earning his boyhood club around £470,000 in compensation.

Scanlon quickly became a regular for the Reds' Under-18 side - playing as both a left-back and left-winger - and the teenager has earned his first-team breakthrough in 2023-24 on account of his stellar displays for the youth team.

Jurgen Klopp handed the defender his debut for the seniors in October's 5-1 Europa League thrashing of Toulouse, before also bringing him off the bench in a 2-1 loss away to Union SG two months later.

Scanlon - now a regular for the Under-21s - has also made the bench for the Reds in the Premier League, FA Cup and EFL Cup during the current season - earning a winners' medal in the latter tournament - although he is still waiting to make his domestic debut for the first team.

Calum Scanlon has signed a new, extended contract with the Reds 🙌

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) April 9, 2024

Scanlon in contention for Europa League quarter-final

Nevertheless, the eight-cap England Under-19 international has played his way into a contract extension with Liverpool, two years on from penning his first professional deal in March 2022.

Following his renewal, Scanlon could be included in the Liverpool squad for the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final with Atalanta BC, taking place at Anfield on Thursday evening.

With Joe Gomez, Andrew Robertson and Kostas Tsimikas ahead of him in the left-back pecking order, Scanlon would be unlikely to earn any minutes against La Dea, but he is eligible to play a part after being included on the Reds' B list as a midfielder.

Klopp has received a significant quadruple injury boost for the visit of Gian Piero Gasperini's side, as all of Alisson Becker, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Diogo Jota and Stefan Bajcetic were back in team training on Thursday.

However, Ben Doak, Joel Matip and Thiago Alcantara remain on the sidelines for the Merseyside giants, who will face Marseille or Benfica should they emerge triumphant over two legs with Atalanta.