Harvey Elliot, Rhian Brewster, Neco Williams and Curtis Jones in Club World Cup squad
Thursday 5 December 2019 15:03, UK
Joel Matip and Fabinho will miss Liverpool’s FIFA Club World Cup campaign in Qatar through injury.
Matip last featured for the Premier League leaders in a 1-1 draw against Manchester United in October and had been expected to be back in action by now. Manager Jurgen Klopp said on Tuesday Matip's injury is not healing as well as the club had hoped.
Liverpool have named a 23-man squad for the tournament and have included teenagers Harvey Elliot, Rhian Brewster, Neco Williams and Curtis Jones in their travelling party.
The quartet were expected to play in Liverpool's Sky Live Carabao Cup quarter-final against Aston Villa, which takes place the day before their Club World Cup opener.
Liverpool can call up replacements up to 24 hours before their first game if any player pulls out due to injury.
The European champions enter the competition at the semi-final stage and play matches on Wednesday, December 18 and Saturday, December 21 as they bid to win the tournament for the first time in their history.
Both of Liverpool's matches will take place at the new Education City Stadium on the outskirts of the capital Doha. The stadium is one of 12 that will be used when Qatar hosts the FIFA World Cup in 2022.
Liverpool FIFA Club World Cup squad: Alisson, Virgil van Dijk, Georginio Wijnaldum, Dejan Lovren, James Milner, Naby Keita, Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah, Joe Gomez, Adrian, Jordan Henderson, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Adam Lallana, Andy Lonergan, Xherdan Shaqiri, Rhian Brewster, Andy Robertson, Divock Origi, Curtis Jones, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Harvey Elliott, Neco Williams.
Jurgen Klopp hailed the depth of quality he has in his Liverpool squad as his fringe players starred in the 5-2 win over Everton.
Klopp seemingly took a huge risk by making five changes, including leaving Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino on the bench in what is seen as one of the club's most important games of the season.
However, Liverpool's fringe players came to the fore and took their opportunity with both hands against a woeful Everton side that are on the brink of sacking their boss Marco Silva.
"There were a lot of great football moments in that game," Klopp said.
"We made five changes. I speak a lot about the quality in the squad, so I have to show it from time to time.
"You give the responsibility to the boys and they have to show that they can perform and what they're made of, which is incredible.
We did it because we can do it," said Jurgen Klopp. It was shortly before kick-off at Anfield and the Liverpool manager had been asked to explain his team selection. A Merseyside derby seemed a strange time to make five changes to his starting line-up, but Klopp was right.
Despite resting Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino, Jordan Henderson and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Liverpool were able to put five goals past Everton and they could have had more. Divock Origi scored two of them. Xherdan Shaqiri, another of the stand-ins, got one of the others.