Liverpool prodigy Joshua Abe scored his first hat-trick for the Reds under-18s in a 6-1 win over Leeds on Saturday.
The 15-year-old, who is signed to Trent Alexander-Arnold’s brother Tyler’s PLG (Player Group) agency, has had a breakthrough season.
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The winger, who has reportedly attracted interest from Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal, recently toured Real Madrid’s facilities.
Abe was invited to the Bernabeu by Alexander-Arnold’s family to watch Los Blancos beat Sevilla 2-0 five days before Christmas.
He then stood on the pitch with the England international and his brother and also received a signed Vinicius Junior jersey.
Abe continued to make headlines in 2026 following his return to Liverpool’s U18 team, now scoring his first hat-trick at this level.
The England youth star scored the opening goal in a 6-1 win over Leeds at the AXA Training Center in Liverpool on Saturday afternoon.
Lucas Clarke doubled the home side’s lead before Abe completed his hat-trick with two goals in five minutes and scored the treble after 21 minutes.
He then scored an assist for Josh Sonni-Lambie’s 20th goal of the season, while Prince Kobe Cisse added a sixth for his first U18 goal.
Leeds had the final say when Samuel Alker scored a late consolation goal, but Abe still grabbed the headlines after securing the match point.
Who is Joshua Abe?
The left-footed right winger has been at Anfield since the Under-9 team, with Alexander-Arnold ironically being there on the day he signed.
Eight years later, Alexander-Arnold’s brother Tyler now manages both his and Abe’s affairs.
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The latter has not yet concluded any scholarship contracts with Arne Slot’s men and cannot be tied to a professional contract until 2027.
However, Abe revealed on his Instagram story that he had attended Liverpool first team training ahead of the 2-1 loss to Man City.
His signing came just two days after he became the club’s youngest ever player in the UEFA Youth League against MSK Zilina’s U19 team.
Last year he was part of the England U15 team that lost to Portugal at the Vlatko Markovic Tournament, in a game in which Cristiano Ronaldo Jr. also came off the bench.
Abe will not feature in Liverpool’s FA Cup game against Brighton but young players Rio Ngumoha and Trey Nyoni are expected to play.
“I always look at the younger players,” Slot said in his pre-game press conference.
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“Some of them are getting closer and closer to first-team football.
“Rio and Trey had that, and games like this could be an option, but it’s all about the right balance. We’re playing a strong team and it’s something to think about who you’re playing against.”
“Of course it raises even more questions for us [that it is Brighton]. If we had a different opponent, I might make different decisions.”