Liverpool U23 boss Neil Critchley is confident Ben Woodburn will be stronger for a tough season.

Woodburn struggled at Sheffield United in the first half of the season as he made just eight appearances for the Championship outfit before his loan spell was cut short.

An ankle injury then dented his chances of heading out on loan again in January and he has remained on the fringes of Jurgen Klopp's squad.

“Every young boy's pathway to becoming a Premier League footballer is different," Critchley told the Liverpool Echo

“It's not all going to be the pathway that Trent Alexander-Arnold took. By his own admission, Trent had a bit of fortune at times.

“Ben might have to go via a different route. You only have to look at the England team currently and the amount of players who had a number of loans when they were looking to establish themselves.

“Ben is still a young boy – he's still eligible for the UEFA Youth League competition. He's going through that rollercoaster ride and as long as he knows we're here to support him that's fine.

“He doesn't always share his thoughts openly, but if you ask him he'll give you an honest opinion and that's what I like about him.

“He obviously had a bit of a bad time at Sheffield United and got an injury towards the back end of that loan spell. He wasn't quite fully fit around January time so going back out on loan didn't happen for him.

“He's very grounded, calm and level-headed. That will be of huge benefit to him going forward. There's no denying it's been a tougher period for him but in six or 12 months' time we might look back on it as a time that benefited his career hugely."