Trent Alexander-Arnold's inseparable mate leaves Liverpool with message for signings

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The message was simple enough, but the depth of emotion it contained was evident only by implication.

Taking to social media, Trent Alexander-Arnold issued five words and a heart emoji, as news broke last week of the departure from Liverpool of Ben Woodburn, a friend and team-mate from their earliest days at the club. “My brother what a journey” it read, hinting at the bond between the pair. And journey is the right word, given Woodburn’s gut wrenching, roller-coaster since arriving as a seven year old at the club’s academy.

Though a year younger than his mate, he and Alexander-Arnold were the two stars of the Liverpool youth structure as they progressed from such a tender age right through to the fringes of the first team. Yet it is a cautionary tale, of the vagaries of football as much as the fragile nature of youthful talent, with the two experiencing so much together, until their careers diverged in such spectacular, and painful fashion.

And as Liverpool line up a new generation of young talent, with four hugely promising teenagers added to the squad in the past few months, it acts as a message that success is never guaranteed at that age.

Fabio Carvalho is only 19 but