Liverpool's exciting kids have missed out on a lucrative FA Cup bonus because the club have not included any clause in their players' contracts for progressing in the competition.
Neil Critchley’s Under-23s beat League One Shrewsbury Town on Tuesday in an FA Cup fourth round replay in front of more than 50,000 to earn a fifth-round trip to Chelsea thanks to a second-half own goal by Ro-Shaun Williams.
Liverpool's youngsters won praise for their performance against more senior opposition, with the likes of 19-year-old Curtis Jones and 18-year-old Neco Williams particularly impressing.
But there will be no financial reward because the club has decreed that there will be no extra payments for success in the FA or Carabao Cup.
Winning the Premier League will see the first-team squad share a £4million bonus while the Champions League triumph saw Liverpool’s players bank more than £7m between them.
It proves that the domestic cups aren’t valued as highly by club owners Fenway Sports Group, with manager Jurgen Klopp often coming under criticism for fielding a weaker side in the competitions.
Klopp skipped the Carabao Cup quarter-final against Aston Villa and sent Critchley in his place, with what was effectively an U23 side losing 5-0 on that occasion.
And he courted controversy for refusing to take his place in the dugout for the Shrewsbury game because it took place during the club's designated winter break.
It remains to be seen how he approaches the fifth round game against Chelsea, but he is expected to give at least some of the players who started the game against Shrewsbury another chance to impress him.
The Reds do not play again until next weekend, when they face Norwich City in the Premier League followed by a last-16 Champions League first leg against Atletico Madrid on Tuesday February 18.
