Nine years after being nominated for an award alongside Kylian Mbappe, former Liverpool midfielder Ben Woodburn is plying his trade in the fourth tier of English football.

Born in Nottingham, Woodburn was picked up by the Reds' academy at the age of seven. He steadily progressed through the youth ranks before making 11 appearances for the first team under Jurgen Klopp.

He left the Premier League giants on a free transfer after a series of uninspiring loan spells, going on to enjoy a stint at Preston North End before joining his current club, Salford City, in 2024.

Two years into his time in Greater Manchester, he's now pushing for promotion to League One with the Class of 92-owned club. From competing with Mbappe to being cradled by Klopp as a prestigious young talent, it all could've been so different for Woodburn.

Ben Woodburn Was Tipped for Greatness

After impressing Klopp in training during the summer of 2016, the German gave Woodburn a handful of opportunities in pre-season. The then 16-year-old did enough in these non-competitive outings to secure his first professional contract, signed alongside Trent Alexander-Arnold, and a place on the periphery of the Merseysiders' squad for the 2016/17 season.

He made his competitive senior debut for the Reds in November 2016, replacing Georginio Wijnaldum in the dying embers of a Premier League win over Sunderland. This made him the third-youngest debutant in Liverpool's history, and three days later, he became the youngest goalscorer in the club's history.

At the age of 17 years and 45 days, Woodburn netted against Leeds United in an EFL Cup match, eclipsing Michael Owen's record by 98 days. This record has since been broken by current Reds winger Rio Ngumoha.

At the time, Woodburn was being dubbed one of the next great midfielders developing through a top club's academy. The surrounding hype was so intense that Klopp attempted to tame the noise in an interview after the teenager's record-breaking goal.

"He still has a lot of things to do and especially to keep the public away for as long as possible — but that is a difficult thing to do," the tactician explained after the Leeds game in 2017 (via BBC Sport).

"I said well done to him afterwards. It was not too difficult. I would have scored too in that situation. We know what Ben is capable of and what he is already able to do.

"The only problem is I'm afraid about all you in the media. That's why I'm so quiet. We know how to handle the situation.

Klopp stayed true to his word, carefully managing Woodburn's development for the rest of that season. He ended the campaign with nine appearances across all competitions for the first team.

Opportunities were much harder to come by for Woodburn in the following season. As Liverpool went up a level under Klopp, going from narrowly qualifying for the Champions League to reaching the final of the competition, there were fewer windows for the charismatic coach to blood young players.

He finished the season with just two appearances, although this didn't stop the Wales international from being nominated for the 2018 Golden Boy award for the second year running.

His more prominent role in the previous campaign had seen him make the 2017 shortlist, although he missed out on the individual silverware to Mbappe. He was in good company, with the likes of Ousmane Dembele, Gabriel Jesus and Gianluigi Donnarumma also being nominated.

However, the 2017/18 season signalled the end for Woodburn at Liverpool. Although he contractually remained at Anfield for another four years, he never made another appearance for the first team, instead spending several seasons elsewhere on loan.

Ben Woodburn's Post-Liverpool Career

After unsuccessful loans at Sheffield United, Oxford United, Blackpool and Hearts, Woodburn finally settled at Preston, signing for the Lilywhites on a free transfer in the summer of 2022.

He was a mainstay at Deepdale in his debut season, making 42 appearances across all competitions, before a disappointing second campaign in Lancashire prompted the Championship club to release the midfielder at the expiry of his contract.

Salford City picked him up in 2024, and he's enjoying something of a resurgence in League Two. Woodburn has established himself as an important player for the Ammies, who are gunning for promotion.

They currently sit top of the fourth division, comfortably clear of fourth place. Woodburn's current contract expires next summer, but if he successfully leads the Manchester club to the third tier, he'll surely be rewarded with a new deal.