Liverpool youth prospect Bobby Adekanye has told of his desire to return to former club Barcelona in the future, but stressed that his sole focus is on breaking into the first team at Anfield.

Adekanye, 18, arrived on Merseyside from Catalonia in the summer of 2015 and delivered a man-of-the-match display as the Reds' Under-19 squad, coached by Steven Gerrard, secured a comprehensive 4-1 victory over Maribor on Tuesday (17 October).

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The precocious winger scored twice against the Slovenians and is finally a regular in Liverpool's youth sides after being troubled by a spate of injuries during the opening period of his time in England. The Nigerian-born Netherlands youth international will no doubt be pleased with his brace in the UEFA Youth League but is looking to reach higher climbs in the world game, and has set his sights on a place in Jurgen Klopp's first-team set-up.

"I wanted to try something different," Adekanye told VoetbalZone. "I wanted to play on a higher level. In addition, Liverpool gives the opportunity to youth, just look at the club's past. I thought, 'I have good talent and am a good football player so why not? Why should not I try?'

"It has not gone as far as I had hoped, but I'm still young. I can learn a lot from my injuries and bad moments."

Adekanye may "dream" of playing regularly for Liverpool in the not-too-distant future, but his "ultimate" career goal is to turn out for Barcelona, who had little hope of keeping him when they were found guilty of breaking Fifa rules regarding the recruitment of underage players.

Barcelona are currently eyeing another Liverpool attacker in the form of Philippe Coutinho, who scored in the Reds' 7-0 rout of Maribor in the Champions League on Tuesday, but Adekanye hopes the Blaugrana will come calling for him once he has made a name for himself in England.

"I really need to play football and every minute I get to show myself. Hopefully, my dream comes true and that's playing in Liverpool's first team," Adekanye said.

"Yes, Barcelona is my ultimate dream, that's right, and hopefully I will play there again in the future. But my dream for now is to get into Liverpool's first-team.

"The club has a lot of confidence in me, they see a big talent in me. They say: 'All you need to do is to keep fit and you can kick on here.'"

Bobby Adekanye
Adekanye is determined to break into Liverpool's first team. Getty
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