Liverpool face anxious transfer deadline wait as players left in limbo

It isn't just Premier League managers who will be quite keen to see the back of the transfer window. At Liverpool's Academy, the uncertainty over the futures of a number of youngsters has prompted a difficult few weeks for both the under-18s and U21s.

That has been evident in the results with the age groups each suffering some testing times during the opening weeks of their respective campaigns.

The latest came on Tuesday, when a mix-and-match Reds U21 side were thumped 5-1 at League Two outfit Crewe Alexandra in their opening EFL Trophy group game.

Among the players who once again didn't feature were wingers Ben Doak and Kaide Gordon and midfielder James Balagizi, who could all go out on loan before Friday evening's deadline. Calum Scanlon on Thursday joined Championship side Millwall for the rest of the season.

And, for Lewtas, that can't come soon enough. "It is a tough time for the U21s, and I know other U21 coaches at other clubs will be the same," he says.

"There are rules attached to the boys regards playing for two clubs and things like that, so there are a group of boys who haven't been playing.

"That is a shame for them because they lose a bit of rhythm. Once the window shuts, it's good for all the players as well because they know they're in, we know who we will be working with, and I'm pretty sure then we can get through a bit more work as well with the players.

"Right now the team is inexperienced, we are young and we haven't got the riches in certain positions that maybe we have had in the past. But to give the goals away against Crewe as we did was painful."

Forwards Jayden Danns, Oakley Cannonier and Kieran Morrison and midfielder James McConnell were all absent injured, while 17-year-old midfielder Trey Nyoni - who has been training regularly with the first team - was also not involved.

And Lewtas, whose side later face Harrogate and Blackpool in their EFL Trophy group, adds: "It was a tough evening. We knew we had a lot of players in positions they aren't used to, but we gifted goals to Crewe. That's just the reality. We are shooting ourselves in the foot really, and that's the disappointing bit.

"I will give the players credit because we didn't have much of an outlet as we were without some players. But that had nothing to do with the goals we gave away. We made a lot of mistakes. These games are for learning - if you don't win, the minimum you should be doing is learning.

"There were some nice parts to the game but the players have to put them all together. James Norris played really well, Tom Hill gave us energy in the middle and Tommy Pilling was always showing for the ball."