Liverpool Youth Star Signs New Contract

Liverpool’s U23 team is sitting pretty on top of Premier League 2, with six points between them and Leicester City. A lot of the credit for the team’s rise lies with 20-year-old captain, Corey Whelan, and Liverpool has been happy to give him a new deal to stick around at the club he’s been at since he was a U10 player.

U23 boss, Neil Critchley (who also coached Whelan when he was a U9 player at Crewe Alexandra) was delighted about the new contract.

"On Wednesday it was announced that our U23s captain Corey Whelan had signed a new deal,” Critchley said in advance of the U23’s fixture against Swansea today. “It's fantastic news for Corey and we are all made up for him.”

"He will realise he has been rewarded for all the hard work and effort that he has put in, but he also knows there is plenty of hard work to come. What's good about Corey is he is really level headed, he doesn't get carried away by things in football, so he will just knuckle down and continue to work hard."

The Irish youth international became invaluable to Critchley’s side with his willingness and ability to play in any defensive position. And while his time wearing the captain’s armband has been excellent, Whelan hasn’t yet received his call-up to the first team. With an eye on making sure Whelan is getting the development he needs and gains experience with different styles of play, it’s entirely likely the team will be looking to send him out on loan in the near future.