At just 15 years-old Luca Eden became Liverpool’s youngest ever player to make an appearance in the UEFA Youth League when he started against Atletico Madrid back in September that ended 2-2 with an assist to his name for the second goal.
Born on March 11, 2011 in the Wirral area Eden could be considered a scouser (and I’m sure all the Reds supporters do) even though regionally a scouser really has to be born within the city limits of Liverpool but this writer isn’t going to claim any expert knowledge
and let the real scouse lead the way on that.
Eden joined Liverpool’s Youth Academy at the U9’s level, signed his first sponsorship deal with Nike when 11 years-old (which is crazy to think about) and became Liverpool’s youngest player to play in the competition for the U18’s in November 2025 against Manchester United.
So far this season Eden has managed one goal and three assists in four UEFA Youth League games and three goals and three assists in seventeen U19’s games whilst playing as a defensive midfielder mostly. The assist for Will Wright against LASK is a fine example of young Eden’s style and it is very reminiscent of a particular Liverpool Legend Steven Gerrard where he drove forward with the ball, breaking from two opponent’s challenges, and making an inch perfect pass into the area for Wright to finish off.
The Stevie G comparisons are easy to make but this writer believes it’s far better to just admire such a talent and give him the freedom to make his own mark in football and especially with Liverpool as well England’s national team as he has already captained the U15’s and is already included in the U17’s England squad.
Despite being only 15 years-old Eden shows fantastic physical strength in his tackling and happily holds the defensive position in the midfield with similar poise to Trey and also with the same ability to carry the ball up field with the stats mentioned earlier proving his abilities offensively. Eden’s offensive qualities and passing abilities make for an intriguing player and when considering Andoni Iraola’s preference for playing two 6/8 hybrids (others may see it differently) and a 10 it’s encouraging to know Liverpool have two young stars perfect for such a setup.
It’s interesting to think that the development of the Academy players could be strongly influenced by who the senior team head coach is and we know that Jurgen Klopp always kept a close eye on the youngsters and his approach to the game was infused with the Academy staff. Arne Slot seemed almost the exact opposite from reports and rarely showed trust in the youngsters but now with Iraola there is certainly a feeling of that relationship being strengthened between Senior and Academy.
Eden has a lot of training, matches and lessons ahead of him but if he keeps going the way he is and is saved from any serious injuries then maybe in a couple of years a seasoned Trey Nyoni will be welcoming Eden onto the pitch as a debuting teammate and midfield partner. YNWA.
