Sergi Canos: The Former Barcelona Starlet Making Early Waves at Liverpool

When Brendan Rodgers was appointed as the new Liverpool manager last summer he made it his priority to hand opportunities to young players. Raheem Sterling, Suso and Andre Wisdom would thrive in the first team, while a host of academy graduates were handed opportunities in various cup competitions.

With an emphasis firmly back on using the youth system to produce stars of the future, Rodgers has worked tirelessly over the summer to snap up some of the best talent in Europe. Pedro Chirivella arrived from Valencia, Herbie Kane was snapped up from Bristol City and Yan Dhanda recruited from West Brom. But perhaps the most exciting of all was 16 year old striker Sergi Canos.

The hugely talented forward was convinced to turn down a new contract from Barcelona in order to make the move to Liverpool in a trend that is becoming all too familiar for sides in La Liga. Barcelona previously lost Cesc Fabregas and Gerard Pique in the same way and were forced to pay fortunes to re-sign the players years down the line.

Liverpool will hope that Canos can follow a similar career path, but will be determined to hang on to the striker if he flourishes in the same way as the Barcelona duo.

The early signs are certainly good as Canos has already demonstrated his undeniable talent during pre-season. While the first team have been touring Asia and Australia, various youth sides have been in action and it is the diminutive Spaniard that has caught the eye.

Canos would be introduced as a substitute for the Under-18's just over a week ago and would instantly make an impact as he scored the fourth goal in a 4-1 win over Birmingham. Latching onto a misplaced back pass, the striker would race clear and coolly round the goalkeeper before slotting ball home.

The Spain Under-16 international would then have another chance to showcase his skills as Liverpool's Under-17 side took part in the Milk Cup in Northern Ireland. Against Chilean opposition O'Higgins, the Reds would secure a 3-1 win with Canos again grabbing the headlines.

The official Liverpool website would rave about his performance, declaring the "Spaniard oozed class" and giving this description of his goal.

"Canos chased down a Wilson pass and stole the ball back inside the penalty area, before dragging it away from one man, nutmegging another out on the touchline and tucking his shot between the 'keeper and his near post from an almost impossible angle."

Despite being just 16, Canos has already tasted success, winning two consecutive league titles in his relevant age groups at Barcelona and Liverpool will have high hopes that he can quickly establish himself in their own youth sides next season.

The young striker previously admitted that he idolised David Villa and if he can go on to emulate Spain's all-time leading goalscorer then Liverpool will be profiting for many years to come.