Ljinders has identified 3 additions he wants to Liverpool squad for pre-season

Liverpool coach Pep Ljinders has named three players that he wants to bring into the squad ahead of pre-season with a big season on the horizon.

The Reds have done their business early with the arrival of Darwin Nunez, Fabio Carvalho and Calvin Ramsay while it does not seem likely that there will be anymore significant signings. That is despite the departure of Sadio Mane, who was a key player under Jurgen Klopp, to Bayern Munich.

As well as the Senegal international, squad players Divock Origi and Takumi Minamino have also left for AC Milan and Monaco respectively. As Liverpool look to beat Manchester City to the title, that might cause some concern.

However, that is doing some disservice to the brilliant talents available in the Liverpool academy - renowned as one of the best in the country. Klopp has always looked to the youth during his time in charge at Anfield, especially in the cup competitions.

There are a number of top youngsters who have already been given a chance to shine, including Kaide Gordon, Owen Beck and Tyler Morton. However, earlier this year, Ljinders named three other players who he wished would make the step up this summer in pre-season.

"This is just my personal opinion, but I think a coach should be judged much more on the young players he brings through," he said back in January. "I really believe in our project looking at our academy. For example, I spent yesterday morning at the Academy to speak with the coaches and Alex Inglethorpe.

"We look all the time at the Academy. [On Tuesday] our U18s played against Burnley in the FA Youth Cup, we had Bobby Clark, Luke Chambers, Stefan Bajcetic, they all stand out. I hope they come with us during the pre-season because it is important for them to have a proper pre-season to know exactly how we want to do things."

The Liverpool assistant manager knows the squad very well, from top to bottom, and has kept tabs on the youngsters throughout the season. But the Dutchman might be left disappointed despite the first-team not being set to return to the club until next week.

The youth teams have come back to Kirkby, though, including the Under-21s and Under-18s with Ljinders using the extra week to get a close look at the next generation of talents at the club. Clark and Bajcetic might get that chance in the coming weeks but Chambers was missing from action as he has been given an extended break amid the European Under-19 Championships this summer - which England have reached the final of.