By Tyler Eaton
Liverpool are considering a January loan move for academy star Will Wright following his impressive start to the season.
Credit: BBC.
Backstory of Will Wright.
The 18-year-old has netted 13 goals in 12 games for the Reds’ U19S and U21S sides this season, including hat-tricks against Fenerbahçe and LASK in the UEFA Youth League. Wright was rewarded for his excellent form with a call up to the England U19S squad for this month’s fixtures. The young striker made his debut off the bench in a 4-1 win over Slovenia. U21S boss Rob Page was full of praise when asked about his striker the season.
When asked about Wright captaining the U19S side, Page said: “He leads by example. He plays as he trains every single day, he gives everything he has got and I think he is a good example to the younger ones around him in our U19S squad.”
When describing his strikers’ style of play, Page said: “Will is a proper striker. He loves a battle and he is all for the battle. He grinds the opposition defenders down.”
Wright’s rise has been rapid, with the striker only entering academy football relatively late in his development. He joined Salford City’s academy as a teenager and quickly established himself as a prolific goalscorer at youth level. His performances earned him a senior debut in November 2024, when he featured for Salford against Wolves U21S in the EFL Trophy. Wright was just 16 at the time. He went on to make further first-team appearances during the 2024/25 season, featuring once in the FA Cup and twice in League Two before attracting interest from Liverpool. The Reds completed a permanent deal for Wright in August 2025, with the striker joining Rob Page’s U21S squad at the age of 17.
Just hours after the move was officially announced, Wright was given his first taste of Anfield when he came off the bench for Liverpool’s senior side in a pre-season friendly against Athletic Club. He nearly marked the occasion with a goal, but his effort was saved by Spain international goalkeeper Unai Simon. Wright later described the experience as a “dream come true” after only beginning academy football a few years earlier. Wright’s first season on Merseyside was disrupted by an injury picked up in September, which kept him out until January.
Despite the setback, he finished the campaign with six goals and five assists for Liverpool’s U21S and made enough progress to earn four senior matchday squad appearances towards the end of the season. He was named in a Premier League squad for the first time in April 2026 as Liverpool continued to expose the striker to the first-team environment. Wright has taken another significant step forward this campaign.
The striker has become a regular goalscorer for both the U21S and U19S, while also captaining Liverpool in the UEFA Youth League. He has described himself as a direct striker who enjoys running in behind defenders and using his physicality, while admitting his ultimate ambition is to break into Liverpool’s first team.
Speaking earlier this season, Wright said: “My motivation is purely to get into the first team, to get in and around training and learn off some of the likes of [Alexander] Isak and Hugo [Ekitike].”
Wright has also embraced the more traditional elements of centre-forward play, recently describing himself as a “retro No.9” who enjoys competing physically with defenders. With academy football increasingly appearing comfortable for the 18-year-old, a January loan could represent the next stage of his development.
Regular senior football would provide Wright with the opportunity to test his goalscoring form and physical style against experienced defenders, while giving Liverpool a clearer indication of how close he is to challenging for a place in the first-team squad.
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