“Just write: ‘Goalscorer: Ben Woodburn,’ and nothing else,” said Jürgen Klopp following the teenager’s entry into the Liverpool record books. The appeal issued at Anfield on Tuesday was heartfelt but in vain, and the manager knew it. Expectation around the gifted forward is not a media construct.

The kid-gloves treatment was applied to Woodburn moments after he replaced Michael Owen as the youngest goalscorer in Liverpool’s history with his 81st-minute finish in the EFL Cup quarter-final victory over Leeds United. Klopp told Woodburn, 17 years and 45 days old, that he could have converted the chance that fell perfectly in front of the Kop, then spent most of his post-match press conference telling the media to back off and refusing to embellish the occasion with platitudes. It made sense and the manager was probably correct to say he could have scored that goal, too, but Liverpool have long expected this day. Many others in football have, too.

Woodburn, who joined Liverpool’s academy a decade ago, was touted as the club’s strongest prospect by their former academy director Frank McParland, who left in 2013. His high hopes for Trent Alexander-Arnold are also coming to fruition and, amid the headlines created by the forward’s slice of history against Leeds, it should not be forgotten that the 18-year-old right-back produced another commanding display in the competition.

Klopp was sufficiently impressed by the “big songs” being sung about Woodburn by Liverpool’s academy coaches to deploy him in pre-season friendlies at Fleetwood Town and Wigan Athletic. He scored in both and the hugely impressive display at Wigan on 17 July prompted the Latics’ then manager, Gary Caldwell, a seasoned defender well aware of the qualities required in a forward, to inquire about a possible loan deal. Liverpool were open to many loan moves this summer but Caldwell was told there was no chance on Woodburn. His employers had their own plans for this season.

The Liverpool manager wants to keep his counsel on the teenager’s potential but the club’s deeds have spoken volumes. One of Michael Edwards’s first acts as Liverpool’s first sporting director, before the title was officially announced this month, was to conclude three-year professional contracts for Woodburn and Alexander-Arnold.

The pair’s pedigree and progress have also factored in Liverpool’s transfer considerations. Plans for a new right‑back to provide cover for Nathaniel Clyne were shelved in the summer because of Alexander-Arnold’s development. Klopp confirmed he wanted to strengthen up front in January after Danny Ings was ruled out for the rest of the campaign with another serious knee injury and with Sadio Mané bound for the Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal.

The manager’s idea is for a signing who can operate out wide rather than as an out-and-out striker, however, ensuring Woodburn’s pathway to the first team remains clear.

“He looks like a very down-to-earth guy but you could see the emotion in his eyes after the game,” said Divock Origi, Liverpool’s other goalscorer against Leeds and a striker who knows all about expectations as a teenager. “I’m very happy for him because scoring at this age at Anfield I think is a huge boost for him. He still has to learn but I think he is in the perfect environment because we all want to help each other.

“You can’t imagine a better manager to develop young players so it is all good for him and the other youngsters.

“We all try to help each other. For him it is most important that he enjoys the game, he tries to learn and to learn to make steps. This is an age you can make a lot of steps really quickly. I think it is all on him but he has the quality. I can tell you that he has qualities and I hope that we can see more of him in the future.”

Then there is the inevitable, brewing argument between the Welsh and English Football Associations over the teenager’s international future. That has not suddenly come to their attentions since Woodburn struck against Leeds.

Ben Woodburn is ‘very low maintenance and high output’ according to Liverpool’s Under-23 coach Michael Beale. Photograph: John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images

Woodburn hails from Tattenhall in Cheshire and attended Bishop Heber high school in nearby Malpas. The Olympic silver-medal rower Vicky Thornley is another alumnus of an understandably proud school. Liverpool’s prodigious young talent still lives at home in the county, with the club having always provided private transport to take him to training or their official academy education centre at Rainhill high school. However, he has chosen to represent Wales, captaining the under-17s team, scoring twice for the under-19s in a recent 6-2 triumph in Luxembourg and aiming to follow Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey into the first team. That has not stopped the English FA from attempting to change his allegiance in recent months. Woodburn has shown no sign so far of switching to England and its far greater scrutinies. Liverpool, you suspect, will be happy at that.

Woodburn has excelled above his age range throughout his time at Liverpool and continued his impressive goalscoring form for the under-23s this season. Their coach, Michael Beale, in keeping with most you speak to at the club about the teenager, believes temperament as well as talent bodes well for Woodburn’s future at Anfield and his ability to blossom under a manager unafraid to give youth its chance.

“The biggest thing with Ben is that he’s very low-maintenance and high-output,” said Beale this season. “That’s what you want from a young player. He’s not brash or flash. He works hard and is from a fantastic family. You don’t need to keep his feet on the ground.

“My worry sometimes with this team is that we put too much of a lens on it. I remember Steven Gerrard making a great comment a few years back about the time when there was no LFCTV, no media around the academy teams, and how the young players developed away from the cameras. This is a young team and we need to just let these boys grow.”