Ben Woodburn: Liverpool & Wales forward joins Oxford United on season-long loan
- Published
The third-youngest person every to play for Liverpool, Ben Woodburn announced himself to Liverpool fans with a late goal against Leeds in the EFL Cup almost three years ago
League One side Oxford United have signed Wales and Liverpool forward Ben Woodburn on a season-long loan.
The 19-year-old broke Michael Owen's record as the club's youngest-ever goalscorer when he found the net in an EFL Cup tie against Leeds United aged 17 years and 45 days in 2017.
He also lost out to Kylian Mbappe for Uefa's 2017 Golden Boy award for the best young player in Europe.
Woodburn spent last season on loan at Sheffield United in the Championship.
He made his Wales debut in September 2017 as a 17-year-old and has gone on to win 10 caps.
Woodburn has played 11 times for Liverpool, but has made just one Premier League appearance in more than two years - as an 84th-minute substitute in the 4-0 win over Brighton on the final day of the 2017-18 season.
But having struggled with injuries last season, along with the emergence of other youngsters Harry Wilson and Rhian Brewster and Divock Origi's resurgence, Woodburn's chances of breaking into the European champions' attack seemed limited, especially if Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino are all fit.
Ben Woodburn made just one start for Sheffield United last season in the Championship as he struggled to establish himself at the Blades
"We are absolutely delighted to bring in a player of his quality and are looking forward to being a part of his development," Oxford manager Karl Robinson told the club website.
Woodburn added: "I think it is a good fit for me in my career at this moment in time. I think it's a stepping stone that I need to push on.
"It's a great league, it's a tough league and I've just got to show what I can do in these games and hopefully show my quality."
Can Robinson resurrect Woodburn's career?
Robinson has nurtured a number of talented young players, particularly in his time as MK Dons manager when he brought through Dele Alli.
Woodburn is hopeful Robinson can have the same effect on his career as the Oxford boss had on the now Tottenham and England player.
"It just shows he's good with young players and hopefully he can be the same with me," Woodburn told BBC Radio Oxford.
"Playing for Wales is a great achievement and I want to carry on doing that and I think that playing first-team football here will help my chances of doing that."
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.