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Liverpool are reportedly eyeing up a bid for French 18-year-old left-back Mathieu Gonçalves in January as they look to add strength in depth to their back line.

Gonçalves came through the academy at Toulouse and made his debut in a 4-0 Ligue 1 loss to Paris Saint-Germain in August.

He has since made three more appearances and has been tipped to have a bright future.

According to French outlet L'Equipe the Reds are considering making Gonçalves their latest young signing as they look to the future, with the club having also recently brought in the likes of 17-year-old Sepp van den Berg, while Ki-Jana Hoever, also 17, joined from Ajax's academy in 2018.

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Liverpool's undoubted first choice at left-back is Andy Robertson, but they do not have a huge amount of options to cover for him, with James Milner filling in for the 2-0 win against Watford at the weekend despite it not being his natural position.

Manger Jurgen Klopp, therefore, may see Gonçalves as an appealing option, and although he would be unlikely to break into the first-team any time soon, he would certainly prove to be an exciting prospect for Reds fans.

Supporters will also see a whole host of other young talents take to the pitch for their Carabao Cup quarter-final against Aston Villa on Tuesday, with the first-team currently in Qatar to play to Club World Cup.

They will be led out by Under-23s boss Neil Critchley, who is relishing the chance to give such young players such a big opportunity.

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“I will be very proud to lead the team out but any pride I will have will come from the players producing what they are capable of," he said.

“There’s no better ­feeling for a young coach than seeing the players who you have a relationship with go and play to the best of their abilities. That is where my pride will come from.

“I’m sure Jurgen will be in touch with us. He takes great interest in our young players. He will be watching the game with great interest.”