Liverpool academy boss Owens delighted to see young trio make Euro debut

Liverpool academy boss John Owens was delighted to see three of his graduates earn their Champions League debuts last week.

In his column for liverpoolfc.tv, Owens wrote: "The highlight of the week undoubtedly came on Tuesday night when Jay Spearing, Stephen Darby and Martin Kelly featured as second-half substitutes in the first-team's 3-1 win away to PSV Eindhoven.

"It was evidence of the overall objective of the Academy and great for everyone involved with the club to see a couple of local lads making their European debuts.

"There's a rule that means there must be a certain quota of English players in the squad in the Champions League, but there were other subs available, and we are all really pleased that Rafa chose to give them a chance to show what they can do. Let's just hope they can sustain their progress and be knocking on the door of the first-team squad in the future."