SerpApi.Org
Pre-season friendlies get written off as glorified training drills with low stakes, low intensity, low interest. Tell that to the teenagers who used them as a launchpad. For a handful of Liverpool players, those sleepy summer kickabouts against unfamiliar opposition became the exact moment everything clicked into place.
With Liverpool's US tour kicking off on Saturday against Sunderland, it's worth asking: who's about to have their Sterling moment? Here are five Reds who turned pre-season hype into first-team reality.
1. Raheem Sterling – 2012: The teenager who announced himself
Sterling was just 17 when he arrived at pre-season training in 2012, already Liverpool's third-youngest ever player after a Premier League debut against Wigan the season before. But potential is cheap.
Proof is everything, and Sterling delivered his in a single moment against Bayer Leverkusen with an electric burst in behind two grown men, gone before they'd registered the danger, finished coolly into the far corner.
That one goal did more than light up a friendly. It fast-tracked an England call-up within weeks and cemented Sterling as a fixture in Brendan Rodgers' plans, with 19 starts to follow in 2012/13.
His exit to Manchester City still stings for Liverpool fans, but the story of a kid announcing himself in front of a half-empty stadium remains one of the club's great modern origin tales.
2. Curtis Jones – 2019: The scouser who never left, yet
Local knowledge, home-grown grit and undeniable talent. Curtis Jones had all three walking into the 2019 pre-season tour, and Jürgen Klopp handed the 18-year-old a proper stage to prove it.
Performances against Borussia Dortmund and Sporting CP, plus a goal versus Tranmere Rovers, showed off the close control and relentless engine that would define the early stages of his career.
By December he'd made his Premier League bow. By May he'd scored at Villa Park in the club's record-breaking 99-point title charge.
And Liverpool fans still get goosebumps remembering that thunderbolt winner against Everton in the FA Cup. Years later, Jones remains a trusted midfield presence, even heading into the final year of his contract and with speculation surrounding his departure this summer.
3. Stefan Bajcetic – 2022: Old head, young legs
Few players combine physical maturity with tactical composure at 17, but Bajčetić did, and pre-season 2022 was where he proved it. Starts against RB Leipzig, AC Milan and Manchester United showed a midfielder who read the game like a veteran, not a teenager fresh out of the academy.
His reward came quickly with a Premier League debut in the historic 9-0 demolition of Bournemouth, a first start in the EFL Cup, Champions League minutes, and a composed first senior goal at Villa Park.
Injuries have since slowed the Spaniard's momentum, with loan spells at RB Salzburg and Las Palmas both interrupted by fitness issues. But with Andoni Iraola crying out for midfield reinforcements, Bajčetić's window to reclaim his breakout status is wide open.
4. Jarrell Quansah – 2023: From League One to the Premier League
Nobody was talking about Jarrell Quansah heading into summer 2023. He'd just spent half a season on loan at League One's Bristol Rovers, hardly the pedigree for a Premier League leap.
Then pre-season happened, and with substitute cameos against Bayern Munich and Leicester City, the club revealed a defender with composure and physical presence well beyond his experience level.
The Merseyside-born centre-back exploded into life in 2023/24: 33 appearances, goals in back-to-back league games against Wolves and Aston Villa, a Carabao Cup winner's medal, and a starring role in Arne Slot's title-winning debut season.
Quansah has since moved on to Bayer Leverkusen, but Liverpool reportedly hold a buy-back clause, so this story might not be finished.
5. Rio Ngumoha – 2025: The kid filling a superstar-shaped hole
Liverpool lost Luis Díaz, Darwin Núñez, Trent Alexander-Arnold and, most devastatingly, Diogo Jota heading into 2025/26.
Enter 16-year-old Rio Ngumoha, who somehow made it look routine: an assist against AC Milan, a goal against Yokohama, a goal-and-assist double against Athletic Club. Another teenage winger, another pre-season announcement and echoes of Sterling over a decade on.
The impact didn't stop at friendlies, as the tricky teenager delivered a dramatic 100th-minute winner against Newcastle, sealed a much-needed win over Fulham, and set up Ryan Gravenberch against Chelsea.
He travelled with Thomas Tuchel's England World Cup squad, missed the final cut, and now arrives at this pre-season with genuine momentum, potentially Liverpool's leading left-wing option for this summer window with Cody Gakpo returning late from the World Cup.
One thing's certain: keep an eye on the kids this pre-season. History says one of them is about to have their moment.
Today's best reads
- BREAKING: Dominik Szoboszlai commits future to Liverpool with long-term extension
- Liverpool make definitive Cody Gakpo stance clear
- Andoni Iraola welcomes back 15 Liverpool first-teamers as 2026/27 Pre-Season officially begins
- Trey Nyoni sets clear goal for Liverpool Pre-Season audition
- How Alex Scott’s refusal to sign extension opens the door for an Andoni Iraola Liverpool reunion
This article was originally published on rushthekop.com as 5 forgotten Liverpool pre-season breakout stars who transformed the club.
