Ben Woodburn to Sign First Professional Contract

This weekend, Liverpool academy star Ben Woodburn will be turning 17 years old, and to celebrate, the ECHO is reporting that he will put pen to paper on his first professional contract with Liverpool.

Though Woodburn is young, he is one of a few very special talents in the academy that has people excited. This summer, he got a taste of the first team in several of Liverpool’s early pre-season friendlies, and even bagged himself a couple of goals and assists against Wigan and Fleetwood Town.

For the Liverpool U23 squad he’s also had an impressive start to the season, netting six goals for Michael Beale’s side, with hopefully more to come.

Liverpool is said to be offering Woodburn a three-year contract, which is the longest professional contract that is allowed for 17 year old players. This will keep him at the club until he’s 20 years old — well over a decade in total, for the Welsh youngster who has been on the Liverpool books since he was just seven years old.

The contract appears to be good business from the club, who have clearly been impressed by Woodburn’s swift and exciting development recently. There will be precious few first team opportunities for academy players this season, so Woodburn will continue his training under Beale and Inglethorpe, and if all goes well, will likely be given another chance to shine next summer.