As Neil Critchley prepares his side to bring home the Otten Cup in Holland after losing in the final last season, he has added a new face to the squad in Bobby Adekanye, who will be returning to the PSV Eindhoven training ground for the tournament.
The 16-year-old Nigerian sealed a permanent move to Liverpool in July from Barcelona after FIFA ruled he had been illegally signed by Barcelona from Ajax years ago.
Last season, he spent part of the season on loan at PSV during his ban. Critchley told the Liverpool Echo: “He’s looking forward to going back to the club he played for last season. He is a lovely and very humble boy. Bobby has a good personality and has mixed in straightaway with all of the boys.”
Although Adekanye does not have international clearance to play for the Liverpool Under-18s in the league this season, he has been permitted to travel with the Under-19s side to Holland for this tournament.
The Reds will be looking for revenge in the Otten Cup this season as they look to finish one spot higher and bring home the cup.
They will be pitted against some top competition, and Critchley continued: “We got to the final of the Otten Cup last season where we lost to Red Bull Brasil and it’s a great competition.
“We hoped to get an invitation back and we were delighted when it arrived. You get to play against top opposition from all over the world. It’s great experience for the lads to come up against different styles and tactics.”
Other participants in the Otten Cup include FC Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, PSV, RSC Anderlecht, Red Bull Brasil, Guangzhou Evergrande (China), and Omiya Ardija (Japan).
