At the weekend, Liverpool announced their 30-man squad for their pre-season tour this summer and this week they embark on that.
Somewhat hidden behind the news of Raheem Sterling's inclusion, withdrawal and then sale to Manchester City; the omissions of Mario Balotelli, Fabio Borini and Jose Enrique; and the anticipation of watching the team's new signings in the red of Liverpool for the first time, is the inclusion of nine academy players yet to really make an impact on the first team.
Goalkeeper Ryan Fulton; defenders Daniel Cleary and Joe Maguire; midfielders Pedro Chirivella, Jordan Rossiter and Joao Carlos Teixeira and forwards Sheyi Ojo, Harry Wilson and Ryan Kent will all join the first team on their 2015 pre-season tour.
A few of these names, most notably Rossiter's and Teixeira's, have featured on Liverpool team sheets already in the past couple of seasons, but none of the players have really managed to stake a claim for serious game time with the Reds like Jordon Ibe or Jon Flanagan have managed to do.
Therefore, this pre-season tour presents an opportunity for them to do exactly this.
Teixeira looking to hit the ground running following injury
Of these youngsters, one who will certainly be watched closely is Teixeira. The 22-year-old had a splendid season on loan with Brighton & Hove Albion in the Championship this year, winning their Young Player of the Year award despite a broken leg cutting his campaign short.
He has now fully recovered from the huge setback though and has already returned to training with the Reds' first team ahead of their pre-season tour.
Winner of the Academy Player of the Year award at Liverpool this year, Teixeira is at that age where he will be let go if Brendan Rodgers feels he is not good enough for the first team, and thus pre-season is especially important for him.
Proving his quality will be no problem. A flashy and clearly talented player with a knack for scoring stunning goals, Teixeira was mightily prolific in the Championship last season, scoring six goals and providing three assists from 63 chances created, whilst also averaging a defensive action per game too. With 61 per cent of take ons completed and 106 attempted, his skill and confidence was displayed in abundance as Brighton avoided the drop.
However, his biggest task at Anfield will be fighting off the competition he faces for a place in the first team. He plays a similar role to Philippe Coutinho, Lazar Markovic, Adam Lallana and new signing Roberto Firmino - either out wide or as a creative number 10 - and so perhaps his aim for the summer should be to show some versatility.
If the youngster can push forward slightly and show his quality in front of goal by finding the back of the net regularly throughout pre-season, perhaps Rodgers will view him as a possible false nine or even another option for a out-and-out striker as Liverpool's woes continue in this position.
Teixeira has the ability to make it at Liverpool, but he needs to bring something different to the table that those who also play the same position cannot in order for his manager to feel he is needed at the club. This season is make-or-break for the 22-year-old, and thus a good pre-season will be so important.
Ojo hoping to justify price tag
Ojo is another player who spent time on loan in the Championship last season, joining Wigan Athletic for the second half of the season as they attempted to avoid the dreaded drop. However, he had a less telling impact in comparison to Teixeira, the Latics eventually being condemned to relegation, albeit he has far much more time on his hands.
At just 18-years-old, Ojo's time with Wigan was his first taste of senior, first team football, and thus he was not expected to light the world on fire. An assist and 12 other chances created in 11 appearances, seven starts, was a decent return for him then, whilst he gained some valuable experience in the process.
The teenager has a lot to live up to, with a £2 million price tag already on him after he joined Liverpool as a 14-year-old from Milton Keynes Dons, but, as aforementioned, he has time on his side.
Having been exposed to first team football for the first time this year, Ojo should really begin to make great strides now, with this loan spell acting as a catalyst in his development and maturity.
He does not face huge competition for a place in the team either, unlike Teixeira, with Ibe and possibly Markovic the only out-and-out wingers in the squad, although the likes of Coutinho and Firmino can and probably will play out wide at times this season.
Whether he is ready for Liverpool's first team or not will probably be decided in pre-season, but the likely answer will be no, with him needing more experience at the highest level. Still, he is sure to have plenty of teams interested in taking him on loan, with a top Championship club perhaps his next destination and a Premier League club to follow, maybe even as early as January depending on how he does in the second tier.
The teenager still has some learning and bulking up to do before he is ready for the physical top flight of English football, but this summer he will remind Rodgers of his talent and incredible promise, with him certainly in with a shout of first team inclusion sooner, rather than later.
Can Rossiter show he is worth the hype?
Whilst Ojo has a hefty price tag to live up to, Rossiter has incredible expectation to fulfil too on Merseyside. Dubbed as the next big thing to come out of Liverpool's academy by club legends such as Jamie Carragher, the 18-year-old will be hoping for more first team action in the coming season.
Rossiter made his first Liverpool appearance in the League Cup last season, starting against Middlesbrough and scoring as the Reds progressed to the fourth round. He became the club's second youngest goal-scorer in the process, with only Michael Owen ahead of him, and suddenly announced himself as a huge prospect in a composed performance.
A regular unused substitute in the 2014-15 campaign, Liverpool's Academy Player of the Year for the 2013-14 season will be hoping to make a mark in pre-season to try and earn himself more inclusion with Rodgers' side, or perhaps a loan move away to increase his experience and aid his development.
As a central midfielder, Rossiter will struggle for inclusion this season as it is a position the team are targeting in the transfer window following the departure of Steven Gerrard. With numerous number 10s at the club as well as five men who operate in the middle of the park, it will be difficult for the 18-year-old to see minutes this year.
Young central midfielders, unless they are number 10s, cannot always make the same direct impact off the bench that wingers and strikers can either, meaning Rossiter is unlikely to be used as an effective substitute either and would be better being sent elsewhere to further his development.
Pre-season will give him a chance to earn more experience by learning from the likes of Jordan Henderson and James Milner though, whilst he is sure to be given game time to remind Rodgers that he will be ready to take a prominent role in the side in the near future.
Gomez determined to earn place at Anfield
Whilst not a Liverpool academy product, Joe Gomez is a player for whom pre-season will perhaps define his first campaign as a Red.
With the debate continuing over whether or not Rodgers' £3.5 million summer signing should be sent out on loan this season, Gomez's performances on the pitch and the training ground during Liverpool's pre-season tour are likely to play a large role in making his manager's mind up.
With the 18-year-old having shone in a Championship side, Charlton Athletic, last season, the next move would be to send him on loan to a Premier League club and allow him to try and establish himself there whilst getting to know the top flight of English football. However, given Liverpool's defensive woes last season, it would not be a huge surprise to see Gomez integrated into the first team.
One of the main things missing in Liverpool's back line last year was competition, but now they have this in abundance with two right-backs and four centre-backs, as well as a couple of these who can play either position, with another left-back their next step towards improving the quality of the back four.
Gomez will challenge Mamadou Sakho and Martin Skrtel for a place in the heart of defence, whilst Dejan Lovren will hope to be in this race for a starting berth too as he tries to get his act together following a torrid debut season in a Liverpool shirt.
Sakho is probably a guaranteed starter in the side as he is arguably their best defender, but if he is to endure a run of poor form then the competition is wide open. With Skrtel not the most convincing and Lovren having been poor as aforementioned, Gomez is right to fancy his chances of breaking into the first team and one cannot help but think Rodgers does too after spending so much money on him at the age of 18.
It is now up to the former-Charlton defender to prove his worth in pre-season and show his new manager that he has what it takes to be a regular in this Liverpool team in the forthcoming season.
Origi returns to fix striker problem
Whilst Daniel Sturridge has been referred to as Liverpool's 'forgotten man' regularly this summer, Divock Origi is certainly the most suited to that title.
Signed for a fee of £10 million from Lille last July after an impressive 2014 FIFA World Cup with Belgium, the 20-year-old forward was loaned back out to the French club for a season as part of the deal.
He scored eight goals in 33 games this season, his best total for the club in three seasons with them, whilst registering three assists and even averaging a defensive action per game.
Despite concern on Merseyside after Origi was named in Ligue 1's worst team of the season by L'Equipe, which was followed by many French football fans' and experts' opinions both defending and supporting the case, none of this will be on Rodgers' mind as he begins to look at the player in pre-season this summer.
The club almost need Origi to perform in pre-season as they are in dire need of a prolific striker. Sturridge will remain injury-prone even when he returns, Ings is not expected to be that 20-goal man, whilst Balotelli and Borini both look to be on their way out following their omissions from the squad to travel around the globe over the next month.
It is important, therefore, that Origi has a good summer on a personal basis to boost his confidence as he fully integrates with the team at his parent club, as he will be expected to have a good season in front of goal and confidence will be vital in ensuring this.
A strong and powerful forward with pace to burn, Origi has various dimensions to his game and will hope to showcase these on tour in order to prove his worth to the Liverpool fans who have been awaiting his arrival for the best part of 12 months.
Whilst Rodgers continues to pursue striking options in the transfer market, the Belgian international will be hoping to remind him that he can play a prominent role at Anfield this season and rectify the issues the Reds faced in the 2014-15 campaign up front.
Plenty more stars in the making
Although a handful of players will be especially examined by Liverpool's coaching team in pre-season, that is not to say that others also included in the squad will not be allowed a chance if they earn it.
With a couple of strikers heading out with the first team this summer and a promising left-back in Maguire, there are players who will be hoping for a look-in in the first team or at least an opportunity to prove themselves in it given that they play in roles that Rodgers is looking to strengthen.
It could be that the manager finds an answer to some problems areas in the team within the club this summer, within their academy.