Liverpool Name Injury Plagued Prospect Captain For U-23 Squad

As Liverpool prepares for its season opening clash with Arsenal, the under-23 squad is getting set to face Southampton on Sunday. The young Reds will be led by newly named captain Harry Wilson, who was chosen this week with the hope that the role could spur his performance level this campaign.

Wilson was considered a top attacking prospect for the club before suffering through an injury riddled 2015-16 season. He missed five months of action with a foot problem after returning from a short loan with Crewe Alexandra. Still, u-23s manager Michael Beale believes the talent is there for a breakthrough year.

"Harry's going to be captain this year, and he's our longest serving player," Beale said (via the Echo). "It was a case of who was going to be the best fit with the staff, who is someone we thought would benefit from having that role."

"We feel he's a very, very talented player. Just this weekend he scored an absolutely unbelievable goal against Benfica which had their staff speaking about him," he added.

Wilson, who turned 19 this past March, is excited to put his foot injury behind him and be a leader for the u-23 squad.

"[Learning I had been named captain] was great news," he said. "It's a big responsibility and I'm looking forward to it."