Where Is Ben Woodburn Now? The Eye-Opening Story of Liverpool’s Former Wonderkid | OneFootball

Every club unearths a gem here and there, and for Liverpool, Ben Woodburn was meant to be their next major prospect. The Welshman made an instant impact upon arriving in the side but would only end up featuring for the Reds on 11 occasions.

So what happened to this promising talent? Where is he now? And why did his career fizzle out at one of England’s most prestigious clubs?

While there are some stories of wonderkids failing to reach their potential due to their own decisions, Woodburn simply could not reach the heights the club had set for him.

Let’s take a deep dive into the career history of Ben Woodburn.

Ben Woodburn in the Liverpool Academy

Ben Woodburn joined the Liverpool academy setup at the young age of 7, and according to the Guardian, former academy director Frank McParland had high hopes for Woodburn, labelling him as the club’s greatest prospect.

When it came to the more senior youth teams, this faith was shown and Woodburn skipped past the under-18s and went straight to the under-23s. In his inaugural Premier League 2 season (2016/2017), he played 15 times, scoring 8 and assisting 6 goals.

It was in this season that the then-16-year-old would also make his debut for the senior team. It was a remarkably quick rise and showed just how much the Anfield hierarchy rated the youngster. Woodburn would go on to feature another 31 times over the next four years, with his time at Liverpool interrupted by multiple loan spells.

Debut & First Goal for Liverpool

The trust in Ben Woodburn was shown quite early. At just 17 years old, he was handed his first competitive appearance by Jürgen Klopp in the 92nd minute against Sunderland. This made him Liverpool’s third-youngest debutant of all time at the age of 17 years and 42 days.

Beforehand, however, the German was keen to protect the young talent, even replying to a question on if he would be apart of the first team after a handful of showcases during pre-season by saying, “Of course not. Ben is 16. Of course not.”

But just days later, the Welsh youngster would be handed yet another appearance in an EFL Cup quarterfinal. He would appear off the bench and go on to make history. With Liverpool 1-0 up against Leeds United, Woodburn scored to make it 2-0, becoming the club’s youngest ever goalscorer at 17 years and 45 days.

It was a fantastic finish by Ben Woodburn, who struck a powerful volley into the top of the net from around 8 yards out. Once again, his manager was keen to protect him from the media and downplayed the finish and appearance.

The German joked around, even stating that he too would have scored that goal: “I said well done to him afterwards. It was not too difficult. I would have scored too in that situation.”

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Unfortunately for Woodburn, this would be his only highlight in a Liverpool shirt. He would only play a further nine times for the club, with his last appearance being six minutes off the bench against Brighton in 2018.

The rest of the youth prospects time was mainly spent out on loan at various teams across the English football ladder.

Loan After Loan After Loan

As aforementioned, Woodburn spent a lot of his early professional career out on loan. Here is a rundown of each stint:

Sheffield United in 2018/2019

Ben Woodburn made a loan move to Sheffield United for the 2018/19 season on July 31, 2018. He made his debut for the club just a couple days later in a 2-1 defeat to Swansea City.

He would be handed his first start in an EFL Cup tie against Hull City on August 14, 2018, with the game going to a penalty shootout. Still on the pitch, the Welshman stepped up to the spot to slot away his penalty. However, his side would end up losing.

This would be his only highlight for the Blades, and the rest of his loan spell was marred by a lack of game time and an ankle injury.

Liverpool were not happy with his development at Sheffield United, so the player was recalled back to Anfield to continue with the under-23’s once more.

Oxford United in 2019/2020

Just a year later, Woodburn would make a loan switch to Oxford United, with hopes this would be more fruitful than the last loan. At first it appeared The U’s were the right destination for him to develop, as he assisted a goal on his debut in a 1-1 draw against Sunderland.

Then, about two weeks later, he scored his first goal for the club, opening the score in a 3-1 loss to Bristol Rovers.

Just as Woodburn seemed to be kicking on, he was once again hit by injury. In October 2019, Woodburn broke a bone in his foot and returned to Merseyside for rehabilitation to recover from an injury set to put him out for 12 weeks.

His manager at Oxford United, Karl Robinson, said it was a big blow for both the player and the club:

Just before he was set to return to The U’s for the remainder of his loan, bad luck would strike once more. Woodburn would pick up the same injury again, but this time in his other foot.

According to Robinson, the way Woodburn put weight on his feet was a factor in both of the injuries, but he was in the process of fixing this issue:

His loan manager affirmed that Ben was “not injury-prone,” but instead was just “unlucky.” He would miss another 12 weeks, with his manager stating he hoped he would return for the final month or two of the season. But he would not make another appearance for the club.

Blackpool in 2020/2021

It was meant to be third-time lucky for Ben Woodburn, but his loan move to Blackpool did not achieve the correct results. The young Welshman made the switch in the January window, linking up with his former Liverpool U23 boss Neil Critchley.

He would make just 11 appearances for a combined 384 minutes across the remainder of the season. He did not score or assist during his time at the club.

Hearts in 2021/2022

His final loan move would prove to be the most impactful, but unfortunately for Woodburn, he wasn’t just fighting for game time; he was fighting for a contract extension.

The academy prospect was down to his final year at Liverpool, and to earn himself a new deal, he really had to produce a special season in Scotland.

He played a total of 30 games for the Edinburgh club, scoring three goals and assisting two. However, it was not enough for the Premier League side to offer him that new deal. He was let go following the expiry of his contract.

A New Start at Preston North End

Following the end of his time at Liverpool, Ben Woodburn made the switch to Lancashire club Preston North End. He signed a one-year deal with an option for another year.

His time at the club was not ideal. He started just 17 games out of his 64 appearances, only scoring three and assisting the same. However, in his first season, he made enough appearances to trigger the one-year extension.

Upon the end of his contract, Preston North End stated he would be released from the club, leaving his future unknown.

Where Is Ben Woodburn Now?

Ben Woodburn is currently playing football for Salford City. He was signed on a free transfer by his former manager at Oxford United, Karl Robinson, in the 2024 summer transfer window after leaving Preston North End upon his contract expiring.

Ben Woodburn Age Now

Ben Woodburn is still young in the football world, coming in at the age of 25. There is still time for the former Liverpool man to progress through the game, and if he even has a hint of that talent left, who knows where he could end up before his career ends?

For the Salford City player, he needs to buckle down and really put the effort in. He is finally playing regular football for a club, and the run of minutes could spark a late surge for himself.

His current club is battling for promotion in the 2024/2025 season, so he could make the natural progression up the pyramid. He is a consistent starter so far for Manchester club, so hopefully he can finally kick on from there.

A Lesson to Be Learned

The story of Ben Woodburn is unfortunately way too common in football. A young star, thrust into the spotlight, all eyes on them, waiting for the player to explode. But the former Liverpool man doesn’t believe the pressure was the reason he never stepped up as a full senior member at the Premier League club. In an interview with Sky Sports, he simply replied, “I don’t think so,” when approached on this topic.

However, due to a lack of game time, Woodburn believes this is why he couldn’t fulfill that potential everyone was waiting for.

This type of thing happens all the time, and many clubs have wonderkids who never quite hit the levels they should.

Upon reflection, the midfielder thinks he should have gone lower down the ladder when selecting his loan moves, perhaps a lesson for other upcoming talents.