Luca Stephenson has revealed his move to Dundee United was MONTHS in the making as Liverpool’s love affair with Scottish football continues.
Leighton Clarkson at Aberdeen and ex-Dundee favourite Owen Beck have enjoyed successful stints north of the border in recent campaigns.
Rhys Williams, Nat Phillips and Ben Woodburn have also been farmed to Scotland to varying degrees of success, turning out for the Dons, Celtic and Hearts respectively.
Stephenson is the latest Liverpool kid to excel, turning in a series of fine showings for United, racking up his first senior goal and two assists. He also bounced back admirably from conceding a high-profile penalty against Motherwell.
And he has offered an insight into the process, beginning in May, that saw him arrive at Tannadice.
The perfect platform
“I went back to Liverpool at the end of last year and I did a bit of a loan review after my time at Barrow,” he said.
“At the end of May last year – so before the window was open and before many teams had started thinking about which players to sign – it was in Liverpool’s mind that my next step was to come to Scotland.
“They’ve seen how well Leighton (Clarkson) done during his loan; Owen (Beck) obviously came up to Dundee and did well. Liverpool have seen first-hand how good this league can be for young players.
“If they do well, it is a great platform to either stay here, or go back to Liverpool for another loan, like Owen has by going to the Championship with Blackburn.
“Liverpool aren’t afraid to chuck players in up here, whereas maybe other clubs – those who haven’t had the success Liverpool have had in this league – maybe won’t do it as much.”
Stephenson: Beck was complimentary
Expanding on Beck’s impact at Dens, and subsequent advice, Stephenson added: “Owen spoke to me about the league and the area.
“He was very complimentary about the league and what it can give a young player.
“He told me if I ever needed anything, he’d always be there for me. That was very nice of him.”
Stephenson hails ‘outstanding’ Doak
Liverpool’s appreciation of Scottish football should come as no surprise.
Shankly to Souness; Yeats to Dalglish – there has been a Tartan tinge to so many legendary eras at Anfield.
To this day, former United full-back Andy Robertson remains a mainstay, boasting English Premier League and Champions League titles among his swathe of silverware.
Ben Doak, on loan at Middlesbrough, could be the latest Liverpool kid to become a darling of the national team after being named in the most recent Scotland squad.
And Stephenson has given his youth team pal a ringing endorsement.
“In terms of raw talent, Ben is outstanding,” continued Stephenson. “I’ve not seen anybody have kind of that one-vs-one ability. That’s talking about first-team players at Liverpool, too.
“I genuinely don’t think there’s anybody as good as him, in that sense.
“If he can improve that end product – the final shot, the final pass – then he’ll go very, very high in the game.
“His movement is good, he is rapid, and he’s got a few tricks in his locker where you just think, “I can’t stop that”.
“The number of times I’ve played against him in training and just thought “there’s not much I can do here!””
‘The quicker he gets thrown in, the better’
So, should Steve Clarke chuck the young wide-man in at the deep end as Scotland – winless in eight competitive fixtures – seek some much-needed inspiration against Croatia and Portugal?
“I know a lot of people say he hasn’t got the first team experience but – and I’m probably a bit biased because I’m his mate – I don’t think it matters,” added Stephenson.
“The quicker he gets thrown in, the better it’ll be for him.
“He came on in the two games in the Nations League last month and I thought he was very good. As long as he keeps on showing performances like that, he’ll have no problem.”
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