First Team
EVERY WORD | JACK WALTON LOOKS AHEAD TO IBROX TEST
21st November 2024
Dundee United are delighted to announce the signing of Luca Stephenson on a season-long loan from Premier League side Liverpool. The deal is subject to both SFA and international clearance.
Hailing from the north-east, the early years of Stephenson’s youth career were spent in Sunderland’s Academy of Light, before he made the move to Merseyside giants Liverpool aged 15.
Despite being one of the younger members of Marc Bridge-Wilkinson’s side, he received the captain’s armband during his first full season at Melwood, leading his teammates to a third-place finish in the U18s Premier League.
Stephenson retained a leadership position as he made a seamless transition into the U21s set-up, playing all but one of their league matches throughout 2022/23.
A flawless start to last term in Premier League 2 preceded the wing-back’s first steps into the world of senior action, making a temporary switch to EFL League Two outfit Barrow on Deadline Day.
With Stephenson a mainstay in the starting XI, the Bluebirds enjoyed one of the finest campaigns in their history, missing out on a place in the promotion play-offs by one solitary point.
Lauded on the Holker Street terraces thanks to his blood-and-thunder approach to defensive duties, the 20-year-old’s loan stint in Cumbria saw him rack up almost 2,000 minutes of first-team experience.
After flourishing on loan, he continued to impress throughout the summer upon his return to Liverpool, and was included in Arne Slot's 28-man squad to head stateside for their pre-season tour.
Rubbing shoulders with stars such as Andrew Robertson, Mohamed Salah and Dominik Szoboszlai, Stephenson would feature in victories over Arsenal, Manchester United and Real Betis. A clash with Sevilla at Anfield last Sunday rounded off our new number 17's preparations for 2024/25.
A FABULOUS PEDIGREE
“Luca is an exciting prospect who arrives at Tannadice with a fabulous pedigree, having spent the entirety of his youth career within an elite-level environment," began United Manager Jim Goodwin outlining the factors behind his decision to bring Stephenson to Tayside.
“His loan spell with Barrow last season was a burgeoning success - he played over 30 times across all competitions, proving his reliability and consistency within the senior game at such a young age."
The Irishman continued: "As a player, his enthusiasm for his defensive duties are infectious, carrying them out with controlled aggression and intelligence. He compliments this with an outstanding level of technical ability, given the footballing education he has enjoyed with Liverpool.
"Luca can also play in a variety of different positions - a quality which will be vital during an unrelenting league season which will no doubt bring various niggles and knocks to the squad.”
I'M READY TO PUT MY STAMP ON THE TEAM
Stephenson himself added: “I’m really looking forward to getting started up here. It’s a massive opportunity for me and the next step in my development - playing in big fixtures, in front of massive crowds is exactly what I need to progress my career.
“I watched the Derby and the atmosphere was incredible - if that doesn’t excite you I don’t know what will!
“I like to do my job and help out the person next to me. I’ll play anywhere for the team and give 110% for the Manager, I just want to be out there playing. I’ve had a good pre-season against top opposition so whenever the Gaffer is ready to throw me in then I’m ready to put my stamp on the team and the league.”
