Thursday 10 August 2017 18:44, UK
England under-20 international Ryan Kent has signed a new long-term contract at Liverpool.
The 20-year-old, who spent last season on loan at Sky Bet Championship side Barnsley, has featured in seven of Liverpool's eight pre-season fixtures this summer.
Jurgen Klopp has now handed the young winger a new deal ahead of the Reds' Premier League opener against Watford on Saturday, live on Sky Sports Premier League.
"I am with a manager here that is willing to play young players and invest his time into my progression as a player," Kent - who has been with Liverpool since he was 7 - told the club's official website.
"Liverpool has the right foundations to make me a good player in the future."
Liverpool will return to the Champions League this season following their fourth-placed finish in the top flight and Kent has already tested himself against the likes of Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid in this summer's friendlies.
The forward admits he may have to seek first-team football elsewhere on loan, though, but has ambitions of breaking into Klopp's first team.
"Wherever I am, I want to be among the team and don't want to halt my progression as a player," he added. "If that means going on loan to get game time, then that's what it'll be.
"But right now I am just concentrating on my time here at Liverpool and if I can push into the first team then I will try to do that."
He added: "Committing myself to Liverpool is a very big thing, so I'd like to become a fully-fledged member of the team and become a regular starter."
