Four Young Liverpool Strikers Looking to Profit From Carroll’s Exit

The decision of Liverpool to allow Andy Carroll to leave on a season-long loan to West Ham has been met by plenty of criticism.

This has not been helped after a difficult start to the season in which the Reds have picked up just two points from their first four Premier League games - scoring three goals and missing a host of opportunities.

However, the lack of options for manager Brendan Rodgers has meant that he must look at the youth team in order to discover the next batch of talented players. Raheem Sterling has excelled since being handed the responsibility of starting in a front three, while Adam Morgan was handed his first competitive start in the Europe League.

Here we assess the four candidates who have the best chance of pushing for first team football.

Daniel Pacheco, 21 -

The Spaniard was convinced to leave Barcelona's famous La Masia academy back in 2007 after impressing Liverpool scouts. His ability to both score and create goals made him a valuable asset to the Liverpool youth set-up and he was soon playing for the reserves. After helping Liverpool win the Premier Reserves North league he was sent on-loan to Norwich were he scores twice in six appearances. After two more loan stints in Spain he returned to Liverpool in the summer and began training with the first team at Melwood.

The golden boot winner at the 2010 Under-19 European Championships and a regular for Spain at youth level, Pacheco has superb vision and ability on the ball make him more of a false number nine. Not an out-and-out striker, but someone that could fill the role currently occupied by Fabio Borini.

Samed Yesil, 18 -

Rodgers has picked the striker in the Europa League squad to play Young Boys on Thursday, giving a clear indication that the German will feature in the first team this season. Having signed from Bayer Leverkusen for £1million in the summer, Yesil has particularly impressed while playing international football. His brace for the Under-19 side against England just a matter of weeks ago, demonstrated his clinical finishing and skill when on the ball.

Having made his debut for the Under-21 Liverpool side which defeated Chelsea 4-1 last week, Yesil has the trickery of Luis Saurez and will hope to be more clinical than the Uruguayan when handed an opportunity in the first team.

Michael Ngoo, 19

At 6ft 4", Ngoo is the powerhouse whose physicality and ability in the air most resemble Andy Carroll. However, his ability with the ball at his feet marks him out as being different from the giant Geordie. The former Southend youngster has an impressive record at all youth levels, ending his first season at Liverpool as their top scorer in the Under-18's league.

The following season he scored 15 goals in 21 appearances, before being promoted to the reserves where last season he ended the campaign by scoring seven goals in as many games. A member of the NextGen side which finished third last year, Ngoo could be viewed as a potential 'Plan B' for when the passing style is being neutralised.

Adam Morgan, 18-

The only striker in this list to come through the academy and follow in the footsteps of Liverpool legends Robbie Fowler and Michael Owen. After joining the club at the age of 10, Morgan came to prominence two seasons ago when he scored 21 goals for the Liverpool Under-18 side. His impressive performances did not go unnoticed by England who picked the striker for the Under-17 World Cup.

Last season Morgan appeared for the reserves, whilst also playing in the NextGen competition where he scored three goals in nine games. After impressing Rodgers on the pre-season tour of America, he made his debut in the Europa League and was unfortunate to have a goal ruled out against Hearts. A natural finisher, he does not possess outstanding pace or trickery, but he has always put the ball in the back of the net. Something Liverpool are in dire need of.