It isn't just the Liverpool first team that has seen efforts hampered by a number of lengthy injury absences this season.
Throughout the Academy there have been players whose development has stalled due to a long-term spell on sidelines, particularly in the under-18 side, which has been forced to promote younger players ahead of schedule and subsequently struggled as a consequence.
Kaide Gordon, who has still yet to return to action after more than 13 months, is arguably the most high profile of those affected as he continues to rehabilitate from a pelvic problem.
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Layton Stewart is another. Having recovered from a year out with ACL damage and then making his Reds senior debut in the League Cup win over Derby County in November, the 20-year-old striker suffered a setback during the warm-weather training camp in Dubai that sidelined him for several months.
The homegrown forward, though, has been in impressive form on his return, scoring in four successive Premier League 2 games including Saturday's 3-2 win at Blackburn Rovers.
"Layton is doing well and scoring some important goals for us," says U21 coach Barry Lewtas. "It was a really good performance from him. He held the ball up really well, brought other players into the game and obviously scored. He is getting sharper each game he plays."
A more notable return at the weekend was that of Tom Hill. Another to have missed a big chunk of his formative years with an ACL injury, the 20-year-old winger featured in the pre-season first-team match against Manchester United in Bangkok, but then suffered two separate injuries that limited him to a brief comeback during November.
Hill featured for the last 15 minutes at Blackburn, and is now with the Wales U21 squad having earned his first call-up for a friendly against Scotland in Spain on Sunday.
"Tom has been working really hard and it was great to see him out on the pitch again," said Lewtas, speaking to liverpoolfc.com. "He was desperate to put the kit back on and get out and play, so the plan was to give him some minutes. It was really pleasing for him to get on because he has worked ever so hard.
"The reality is he has had really rotten luck, so hopefully – and there are still plenty of games left – Tom can play a big part for us between now and the end of the season."
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