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Liverpool’s two ex-Barcelona youngsters have had differing injury fortunes - with one facing a stretch on the sidelines and one ready to try to make an impact.

Exciting wing recruit Bobby Adekanye has enjoyed a terrific start to the season but missed Saturday’s impressive 3-1 victory over Stoke at Kirkby and faces a spell on the sidelines.

U18s mananger Neil Critchley said of the 17-year-old: “He’s had a hernia op. He’d been struggling pretty much since the Blackburn game (first of the season) and we’d tried to manage him. It got a little bit worse and we had to get him scanned and it highlighted a problem.

“We got him in quickly to try to eradicate the problem. It shouldn’t be a long-term thing but it will keep him out for another few weeks.”

It’s a blow for the Nigerian-born player who missed large parts of his first season at the Liverpool Academy with ankle ligament problems.

He came back this year looking stronger with Academy coaches very pleased with the work he’s put in to get back to fitness.

There was better news for Juanma, former Barcelona youth captain who was recently picked up by the Reds after a trial.

The 19-year-old came on for the U23s on Sunday against Leicester at Tranmere and slotted into a centre-back position in place of Corey Whelan for the last 20 minutes.

U23s manager Michael Beale said; “Juanma’s been injured, he’s had a bit of a knock and he’s not had a pre-season. He’s not a centre-back he’s a left-back but it was a chance, with the game quite comfortable, to bring him on.

“I couldn’t really take out (full-backs) Trent (Alexander-Arnold) or Connor (Randall) because I thought they were both excellent. Corey Whelan I thought was outstanding but he played 90 minutes on Thursday (against Brentford) so it was an easy option to give Corey a bit of a break.”

There was less good news of defensive midfielder Jordan Williams, also on the comeback trail after a difficult year with injuries last season, and who impressed in the previous victory at Arsenal.

Beale revealed: “Unfortunately Jordan Williams has picked up a small injury which will keep him out for a month or so.”

The U18s play next at Middlebrough on Saturday while the U23s travel to Tottenham for a Monday night clash next week.