Trent Kone-Doherty signs first professional Liverpool contract

The 17-year-old Irish attacker previously plied his trade with hometown club Derry City, where his performances caught the eye of Liverpool and earned him a switch to Anfield last summer.

The Reds paid just over £150,000 to bring Kone-Doherty to Merseyside, and the attacker hit the ground running at Under-18 level with 10 goals and two assists from 20 matches in the 2022-23 season.

Kone-Doherty - whose favoured position is on the left-hand side of the attack - netted seven times in 14 Under-18 Premier League 2 fixtures last term, as well as three goals in five UEFA Youth League appearances.

The 2006-born winger picked up where he left off at the start of the 2023-24 season, scoring five goals in as many Under-18 Premier League matches, including a hat-trick in a 7-1 thrashing of Sunderland on October 7.

Prior to that treble, Kone-Doherty scored on his debut for the Under-21s in a 1-1 Premier League 2 draw with Derby County in August, and he has made a further two appearances for Barry Lewtas's side.

The teenager also boasts six caps for the Republic of Ireland at Under-17 level and has been invited to train with the senior team at Liverpool, although he is yet to make his first-team debut.

Nevertheless, Kone-Doherty's rapid progress has seen the 17-year-old rewarded with a first-ever professional contract at Liverpool as he seeks to follow in the footsteps of fellow academy prospects such as Ben Doak.

Kone-Doherty and Doak - who is seven months the Irishman's senior - both joined the Merseyside giants in 2022, and the latter has already made his first-team breakthrough after a series of impressive displays for the academy teams.

The former Celtic prospect has played eight times under Klopp, making appearances in the Premier League, EFL Cup and Europa League this season, although he is currently nursing a muscular injury sustained in October's international break.

Liverpool assistant Pep Lijnders could provide an update on Doak's condition ahead of Wednesday's EFL Cup fourth-round tie with Bournemouth, where the 17-year-old would be in contention to play if he is fit enough.

Curtis Jones will also return from a three-game ban this week, but Thiago Alcantara, Andrew Robertson and Stefan Bajcetic remain sidelined, while Luis Diaz's participation remains clouded in uncertainty following his parents' kidnap in Colombia.