Jurgen Klopp delivered a half-time message to Liverpool’s youngsters during their EFL Cup quarter-final defeat to Aston Villa on Tuesday night.
The German was in Qatar with his first team for their Club World Cup campaign as the Reds faced Villa, with a fixture pile-up forcing them to field an inexperienced side for the cup tie.
Despite an encouraging performance, Liverpool were ultimately hammered 5-0, with Conor Hourihane, Jonathan Kodjia and Wesley among the scorers.
However, U23 boss Neil Critchley, who took charge of the game in Klopp’s absence, revealed the main man was pleased with their display.
"We had some information at half-time from the manager, basically to keep playing the way we were playing, keep being brave, and keep doing what we were doing," Critchley explained in his post-match press conference.
"He was out there [in Qatar] watching with the staff and the players and I am sure he will be proud of the way we played tonight."
