Liverpool’s youngest-ever goalscorer has signed with a League Two team, two years after leaving Anfield as a free agent.
The Liverpool academy has seen significant success in recent years, with players like Jarell Quansah, Conor Bradley, Stefan Bajcetic, and Ben Doak earning spots in the first-team squad. Jurgen Klopp played a pivotal role in their development, with several breaking club records along the way.
Ben Woodburn, a Wales international forward, still holds the title of Liverpool’s youngest-ever goalscorer. He achieved this feat at the age of 17 years and 45 days, surpassing Michael Owen’s record with a goal in an EFL Cup match in 2016.
Woodburn played 11 games across various competitions in his first two seasons as a professional before embarking on a series of loan spells at Sheffield United, Oxford United, Blackpool, and Hearts. Liverpool opted to release him in the summer of 2022, following which he signed a one-year deal with Preston North End, with an option for an additional year.
Despite scoring just one goal in 38 Championship appearances last season, Woodburn had his contract option exercised by manager Ryan Lowe. However, it was another challenging season for the Welsh player, as he mostly made cameo appearances and started only one of his 20 league matches, failing to score.
He was released last month and has now joined League Two side Salford City, a team he scored against in the Carabao Cup last August.
Salford City is managed by former Liverpool academy coach Karl Robinson, who previously took Woodburn on loan to Oxford in 2019. Woodburn has signed a two-year contract at the Peninsula Stadium and expressed his ambitions upon joining, stating on the club’s website: “I just want to create chances and score goals.
Hopefully, our playing style will entertain the fans, and we can have some exciting games. In my previous teams, we’ve always aimed for the top of the table, so I hope we can achieve that here and bring Salford back to where they belong, near the top of the league.”
