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Liverpool youngster James McConnell is set to be including in the squad for the Carabao Cup final against Newcastle United.
James McConnell is hoping to spoil his friends’ Wembley day out as he aims to win another Carabao Cup with Liverpool.
The midfielder was part of the Reds’ cherished victory over Chelsea in last year’s final. Amid an injury crisis, McConnell was one of a number of youngsters who then-manager Jurgen Klopp turned to from the substitutes’ bench. He was highly impressive along with fellow rookies Jayden Danns and Bobby Clarke as Virgil van Dijk’s last-gasp extra-time header won Liverpool the silverware.
McConnell is set to get his taste of Wembley for a second time. Injuries to Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez, Conor Bradley and Tyler Morton mean a berth on the bench is likely for the 20-year-old. And the Reds face McConnell’s boyhood club Newcastle United in Sunday’s showpiece. He is a born-and-raised Geordie but came through Sunderland’s youth ranks before moving to Anfield aged 15.
It means many of his friends will be heading to the capital dreaming that the Magpies can end their 70-year trophy drought. But McConnell’s immediate family will be cheering on Liverpool - and he is relishing potentially playing his part again.
What’s been said
Speaking to RedMen TV, McConnell said: “Maybe in the extended family. For me and my family probably not. My family have to switch and will be hoping along with me that Liverpool get it done.
“A lot of my mates from home will probably be in the Newcastle end. It will be a great game again. If I can be in and around it then that'll be great, if I'm watching from the stands then that will be great as well and hope it goes the same as last year.
“You've always got to be ready in case you get a chance but we've got so many world-class midfielders at the club - not just midfielders but all other positions. Last year was a bit different because there was a bit of an injury crisis but this year you've still got to be ready regardless.
“We obviously hope the lads can get it done in 90 minutes as well but just to be in and around it is still a great experience and we're only going to get better being in and around it. Regardless of what happens, it should be a great day.”
‘It was mad’
McConnell has been around Liverpool’s first-team fray for the past 18 months. When he was introduced in the 87th minute of last year’s final, he had made six senior Reds outings. Still an unheralded name to the neutral, McConnell more than held his own against a Chelsea midfield that featured from £100 million players in Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez before Van Dijk’s towering header in the dying embers won Liverpool a 10th Carabao Cup.
Asked what Klopp told him before being brought on for Alexis Mac Allister, McConnell replied: “He just said go and enjoy the experience, you're good enough to be here. Other than that, I can't really remember. I just remember thinking this is a bit mad. It helped everyone who started was getting a bit tired and we were fresh. When you look back, they don't happen a lot in your career and you've just got to try to enjoy it. We got a little bit of play at the end and when the goal went in, it was mad.
“When you see the pictures and how mad everyone was, I remember thinking we have got two minutes and got to see it out and it'll be nuts. For the 10 seconds after we scored, it was just mad. It was carnage but we managed to hold on.
“The main one I took away was I contributed somewhat. Although I did well, it maybe gets a bit over[played] because we are youg, which is fine. It was important because we done well but if Virg didn’t come and score the header then we wouldn’t have been there.
“The narrative was a lot of the young lads got a lot of the plaudits but the senior lads did so, so well and we wouldn’t have won it without them. I do look back and a game like that, it doesn’t matter. it’s who wants it more in the moment and in the last 10 minutes we just went for it and you need a bit of lucky, which we probably got.”