Liverpool are reportedly tracking Crusaders striker Michael Mulholland, a 15-year-old said to have scored a remarkable 256 goals in a single season. According to the Mail, the Reds have scouted the Belfast-born forward, who has also earned three caps for Northern Ireland's U17 side and already holds an Adidas deal.
Reds' youth recruitment drive
The Premier League club has been active in securing young talent this year, having already signed Mor Talla Ndiaye from Senegalese club Amitie FC, Ifeanyi Ndukwe from Austria Vienna, and Samuel Martinez from Atletico Nacional in Colombia. In the past month, they also completed deals for Genk goalkeeper Lucca Brughmans and French striker Djylian N'Guessan from Saint-Etienne.
According to Transfermarkt, Mulholland has appeared in two NIFL Premiership games this season, scoring one goal in just 20 minutes of action. The Reds have also made high-profile senior signings in the last two years, including the £100m-plus captures of Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak and Bradley Barcola.
Global talent director Matt Newberry
Liverpool's focus on the future has seen them boost their youth ranks with international talent, overseen by Matt Newberry. The Northern Irishman began his football career as an academy scout for Birmingham City before moving to Anfield nearly 15 years ago. He has held roles in youth scouting and recruitment and has been the club's 'director of global talent' since 2024.
Newberry has led Liverpool's scouting missions worldwide, helping the club beat Real Madrid to Brughmans' signature, who many believed would become the long-term successor to Thibaut Courtois.
Post-Brexit market pressures
British clubs are prohibited from signing European players before they turn 18, and the effects of Brexit have driven up the cost of acquiring homegrown talent. Liverpool's long-time academy director Alex Inglethorpe said earlier this year: "The market is more competitive now around the age of 16 than it's ever been. There's no question that since Brexit, the landscape has changed and it's driven up the price of young English talent."
However, there are exceptions to the rule, as in recent years the club signed Rio Ngumoha and Trey Nyoni from Chelsea and Leicester City, respectively.
