Ben Woodburn will be handed a long-term contract by Liverpool next month as the club seek to safeguard the future of the highly rated Wales international.

Woodburn turns 18 on October 15 when he will be eligible to sign a five-year contract and discussions are expected on what will be an incentive-based agreement. He is coming to the end of the first year of the three-year deal he signed when he was 17, the longest he could commit to at the time under Premier League rules.

Woodburn’s reputation has soared after his impact as a substitute for Wales in their two World Cup qualifiers in the past week. Chris Coleman, the Wales coach, said he felt vindicated by twice playing the teenager despite him sensing