Liverpool: 18-year-old forward Ryan Kent confirms contract extension

Liverpool forward Ryan Kent has confirmed that he has signed an extension to his professional contract with the Reds.

The 18-year-old striker, who is currently recovering from a back injury informed his followers on social networking site Twitter about his extension.

"Happy to Announce I Have Extended My Professional Contract with Liverpool Football Club," Kent confirmed.

Kent is highly rated at Liverpool, and had a fantastic start to the season with both the UEFA U19 Champions League and the Anfield clubs U21 outfit and his performances were attracting interest from lower league clubs over the possibility of a loan deal.

But unfortunately, the forward suffered a back injury that has kept him out for months, which saw him miss out on a chance to move away on a temporary basis and experience first-team football.

Liverpool U21 manager Michael Beale is hoping that Kent can recover in time for the Reds' clash against Fulham and get some minutes under his belt.

The coach also heaped praise on the versatile forward and believes he was the star of the youth team before his injury and has insisted that the club will not rush the player back on to the pitch.

"Ryan is a really exciting player and can play in a number of positions. We can't rush him; we're hoping he can get some minutes in the Fulham game," Beale said, as quoted by the Liverpool Echo.

"When he got injured we were devastated for him because at the time Ryan was getting quite a bit of interest in terms of going out on loan and was a star player in the U21s," the Reds U21 boss explained.