Liverpool’s focus during the international break has largely centred on the first team, with Andoni Iraola still unbeaten since taking charge and supporters keen to see further improvement when domestic action resumes next month.
Sunday’s win over Bournemouth was only the club’s second Premier League victory so far this season, and there is clearly work still to do as Iraola continues shaping his squad.
Away from the senior picture, however, developments involving the club’s academy have also caught attention this week, with a significant departure now confirmed at youth level.
According to Manchester Evening News, the Premier League has formally approved the move of a Liverpool academy attacker to Manchester United, clearing the final hurdle in a transfer that had already been agreed.
Isaac Konde, a sixteen year old winger who joined Liverpool as an Under 9 back in 2018 is now Manchester Unted’s asset.
Konde, who is of Congolese heritage and grew up on Merseyside, has signed for United on a one year scholarship that will convert into a five year professional contract once he turns seventeen, the earliest age at which such a deal can be finalised.
As is standard procedure whenever a player under sixteen moves between Premier League clubs, Konde was required to wait for league approval before he could begin training with his new side.
That approval has now been granted following the standard investigation process, allowing United to proceed with integrating him into their setup.
He signed his contract at Old Trafford on Wednesday and will join Darren Fletcher’s Under 18 squad, having made six appearances for Liverpool’s own Under 18s last season.
Konde becomes United’s second Under 18 signing in the space of a week, following the arrival of seventeen year old England youth international Karim Cassim from Manchester City on Thursday.
United have also added sixteen year old midfielder David Eze from City, underlining a clear push to bring in high potential young players capable of progressing quickly toward the first team.
Notably, United and Liverpool had not exchanged first team players since 1964, making this piece of youth business a rare occurrence between the two rivals.
The timing is notable given the wider unrest surrounding United’s own academy this week, with fifteen year old JJ Gabriel having informed the club of his desire to leave.
United rejected his formal request to terminate his youth registration, though Gabriel holds an Irish passport through his father, meaning he could still move to a European club once he turns sixteen in October, with Barcelona and Real Madrid both linked.
For Liverpool, losing a promising academy winger to a direct rival will not go unnoticed, even at youth level, but the club’s recruitment machine at Kirkby continues to operate regardless, with Iraola’s attention firmly fixed on results at senior level as the season progresses.
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