‘Unplayable’ Liverpool starlet made club history on the European stage on Tuesday
Liverpool academy starlet Joshua Abe made a piece of club history on Tuesday as the Reds’ under-19s unfortunately exited the UEFA Youth League.
Despite taking an early lead through Kieran Morrison, Rob Page’s side were beaten 2-1 away to MSK Zilina in the round-of-32 clash, with the Slovakian side cheered on by more than 10,000 home supporters (liverpoolfc.com).
It’s the second season in a row in which the young Reds have exited at that stage of the competition, having been beaten on penalties by Stuttgart 12 months ago.
Amid the colletive disappointment for Liverpool, there was a landmark achievement to enjoy for one teenager in Slovakia yesterday.
Joshua Abe makes Liverpool history
As noted by Reds academy reporter Lewis Bower on X, with citation for Transfermarkt, Joshua Abe became the youngest-ever player to represent LFC’s under-19 side when he replaced Haydn Murray-Holme midway through the second half.
The winger made that record-breaking appearance at the age of 15 years, six months and 17 days, supplanting Rio Ngumoha’s UEFA Youth League debut by six months.
Abe had already caught the eye at Liverpool
Born in the same month that Roy Hodgson became Liverpool manager, Abe had already served eye-catching notice of his burgeoning talent with a sublime goal for England’s under-16s against Italy last year.
Bower had previously referenced how a ‘well-placed’ figure within the football industry had described the 15-year-old as ‘unplayable’, and Chelsea had reportedly been seeking revenge for LFC’s signing of Ngumoha by trying to snap up our even younger starlet (via X).
Prior to the UEFA Youth League clash yesterday, Abe had netted five goals in eight matches in the Under-18 Premier League this season, including two in the young Reds’ 4-2 win over their Derby counterparts last Friday (Transfermarkt).
The precocious right winger could potentially find himself entrusted with some minutes for the under-21s in Premier League 2 over the coming weeks, having been given a European debut on Tuesday, in addition to his continued involvement with the under-18s.
Naturally it’ll be a while before he enters the frame for first-team selection, even for pre-season, but if the teenager can keep impressing in his current environment and avoid any serious injury problems, his star should continue to ascend on Merseyside throughout 2026 and beyond.
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