19-Year-Old Liverpool Winger Already Has 16 Loan Appearances This Season

While Liverpool's senior squad has played their way into a tie for first place in the Premier League, youth players have also impressed.

19-year-old wing prospect Ryan Kent is making the most of a season-long loan at Barnsley, where he has already made 16 appearances. Much like Sergi Canos at Brentford last year, he's been helped by the rigors of competitive Championship action.

"It's a lot more difficult to play in this division than it would be for me to be back in Liverpool playing in the U23s or whatever," Kent told Barnsley's official website. "It's a lot more physical, more demanding and the players in the league are much tougher. It's a challenge in my career that I'm relishing. Barnsley are giving me everything that I need to get to that next level, they're really helping me in my career and I'm hopefully helping them in the process. That's my focus right now, helping this club push to the top of the division."

Even though Kent has scored just one goal this season, he's hopeful he can continue making forward strides.

"It's clear I need to improve my end-product," Kent said. "I need to add numbers to my game ... It's what keeps you in teams, it's what managers want from you. It's something I need to improve. And I'm working really hard on the training field to get better."