It would take a long time to list all of the Liverpool academy prospects that Jurgen Klopp handed debuts to during his Anfield tenure. And not all of them ended up going on to win the lot like Trent Alexander-Arnold.
One ex-Liverpool midfielder, who was signed from the Arsenal youth system in 2015, has now joined a club in the second tier in Sweden. Now 24, Elijah Dixon-Bonner has sealed a loan switch to Vasteras in the Superettan league.
He made his Liverpool debut at 19, coming off the bench in the FA Cup against Shrewsbury. Dixon-Bonner went on to make two more appearances for the Reds, including a start against the Shrews in January 2022. Later that year, he moved to the Championship side QPR on a permanent basis, where he has played 33 times since.
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Once upon a time, Klopp was a big fan of Dixon-Bonner. "In the last international break he was incredible," he said of the youngster after he came off the bench against Preston North End in October 2021.
"He’s been long in the club already but was not really on the radar — and now all of a sudden he is there. He deserved these three or four minutes tonight. For a young boy, it’s a massive thing to play your first game for the first team and I’m really happy for him that we could give him the opportunity."
Vasteras was relegated from the top division in 2024, with the new season set to get underway in April. It will be hoping to head straight back into the top flight at the first time of asking.
"Coming to VSK feels like a great opportunity for me to play football and hopefully contribute to the team’s success," Dixon-Bonner told the club’s official website. "I look forward to the spring with confidence."
Liverpool.com says: Dixon-Bonner was a good player when he was coming through at Liverpool. He just needs to find the right platform to get some consistent minutes with QPR mainly putting him on the bench in the last couple of seasons.
