Youngest ever Liverpool XI and where they are now as repeat beckons v Shrewsbury

It's been almost two years since Jurgen Klopp and his squad jetted off to the Middle East to leave first-team duties in the hands of former under-23 boss Neil Critchley.

Following on from the Champions League triumph over Tottenham in Madrid, Liverpool's foray into the Club World Cup saw them handed two fixtures in less than 24 hours - and almost 3000 miles apart by plane.

Klopp and Liverpool's hierarchy ultimately decided the chance to win a competition not yet in the club's historic trophy cabinet took priority over a Carabao Cup quarter-final vs Aston Villa, in which Critchley's youngsters were thrashed 5-0.

Still, unperturbed by their struggles at Villa Park, Klopp was more than happy for Critchley to take the reins again some weeks later after the FA opted to schedule Liverpool's FA Cup fourth round replay vs Shrewsbury Town right in the middle of the Premier League's inaugural winter break.

What transpired was Liverpool eventually ending up fielding their youngest XI of all time - and running out 1-0 victors over their League One opponents thanks to a late own goal.

But with Shrewsbury the visitors to Anfield again this forthcoming Sunday, and Klopp likely to ring the changes amid an ongoing Covid crisis, where are the players who carried Liverpool into the fifth round back in 2019/20?

Here's the lowdown on what each player is up to now...

Goalkeeper - Caoimhin Kelleher

Entrusted with the No.1 spot two years ago, not a great deal has changed for the Irishman, who filled in for the Reds' first choice stopper Alisson vs Chelsea at the weekend.

Kelleher's performances during that season saw him eventually elevated above previous No.2 Adrian after the latter's glaring errors in the Champions League defeat to Atletico Madrid.

Klopp opted to select Kelleher for the next European clash Alisson was absent vs Ajax and he has since made eight appearances for the first team.

Right-back - Neco Williams

Man of the match vs Shrewsbury last time out, Williams showcased the quality which had him on the fringes of Klopp's squad and pushing for a breakthrough.

Sadly for him, the route is currently blocked by Trent Alexander-Arnold, which has left Williams scrapping for minutes and not featuring as much as he would like.

Despite being a regular for Wales - including at Euro 2020 - his chances of cementing a starting berth at Anfield appear limited.

Reports have now suggested Liverpool could let Williams go in January - either on loan or permanently - if they receive the right offer.

Centre-back - Ki-Jana Hoever

Liverpool fans were already aware of Hoever's potential after a previous FA Cup display against Wolves aged just 16 - the club's third-youngest ever debutant at the time.

Hoever came off the bench after just six minutes to help marshall the defence expertly and was a shining light on an otherwise disappointing night for the Reds as they crashed out of the competition.

But it wasn't to be for the Dutchman on Merseyside as Liverpool accepted a sizeable offer from Wolves for his transfer in the summer of 2020.

He went on to make 15 senior appearances for the Midlands club last season and has featured for Bruno Lage's side this term too.

Centre-back - Sepp van den Berg

Another player who caught the attention of Reds fans at a similar time to Hoever - fellow Dutchman van den Berg was signed in the summer of 2019 as Liverpool beat off competition from across Europe.

The youngster hailed it as a "dream come true" upon moving to Anfield but has been limited to four just cup appearances in a red shirt - the last of which was the victory over Shrewsbury.

Since then, though, the 20-year-old has been holding down a regular place in Preston North End's team in the Championship, where he has spent the last year on loan.

Left-back - Adam Lewis

Having captained the Liverpool youth side and played a part in a pre-season tour with the seniors, Lewis was already known to the die-hard Reds faithful by the time he made his competitive first-team debut vs Shrewsbury.

Unfortunately for him, it remains his sole appearance for the club thus far, having spent last season out on loan at French club Amiens, then Plymouth, and this one at Scottish side Livingstone.

Lewis hailed the "opportunity to come and play more games" north of the border back in August (via NTOF ) but has since been sidelined through injury which has kept him out of action since September.

His ambition remains to force his way into Klopp's plans, but like Williams, with Andy Robertson ahead of him, he faces a tough task, particularly with added competition from £11m signing Kostas Tsimikas, who is growing in stature under Klopp's guidance.

Midfield - Jake Cain

Another whose only appearance for the first team came in that win over Shrewsbury.

Cain joined League Two Newport County at the start of the season where he is getting regular game time, featuring in 12 matches so far this season.

Midfield - Pedro Chirivella

Arguably Liverpool's standout performer in the third round win over Everton, Chirivella put himself back in the shop window with an incredible display in the middle of the park.

So much so that Liverpool wanted to tie him down to a long-term contract.

But knowing chances would be limited in the first team, Chirivella, 24, instead opted to leave the club at the end of that season for French club Nantes, where he is a mainstay in the team.

Midfield - Leighton Clarkson

One of a number of promising starlets emerging from Liverpool's next crop of academy talent.

Clarkson has featured three times for Liverpool - his debut coming in the defeat to Villa, and featured in the dead rubber draw with FC Midtylland last season.

He followed Harvey Elliott's example with a loan move to Blackburn to get more game time this term but has already been recalled after making just seven appearances.

Blackburn boss Tony Mowbray said (via TeamTalk ): "He's a wonderful footballer with a wonderful weight of pass and amazing vision.

"A boy with the amount of talent that he has, he has to be playing football. It's almost criminal that he sits on a bench.

"I hope he can find a club where he can play a lot and show what a good player he is."

Forward - Harvey Elliott

Little needs to be said really about exciting talent Elliott, who looks destined for a bright future at Liverpool.

The 18-year-old was a prominent figure in Klopp's side in the early part of this season until suffering a horror injury in the win vs Leeds at Elland Road.

He is currently on the road to recovery though and looks like he could be back in action in the near future.

Forward - Liam Millar

Canadian striker Millar had only just returned from a loan spell at Kilmarnock when he made his Liverpool debut vs The Shrews.

The 22-year-old has since enjoyed a solid stint at Charlton Athletic last season and is now on loan at Swiss club Basel - one of Mohamed Salah's former clubs.

This season he has made 28 appearances, scoring six times for his loan club, while also featuring in World Cup qualifiers for his country.

Forward - Curtis Jones

A fully-fledged member of the first team now, Jones shot to stardom with his wondergoal winner vs Everton in the previous round of the 2019/20 FA Cup.

Since then his stock has only continued to rise, and the clever midfielder has now made a total of 57 appearances for his boyhood club in all competitions.

His involvement has been limited in recent months due to an eye injury but Jones' brilliant performance vs Porto back in September - where he contributed four assists - suggests there is only more to come.