1 year ago
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Photo by Matt McNulty/Getty Images
A UEFA stipulation for drafting in an unregistered goalkeeper in cases of long-term injury means Adrian can be left out and makes room for Ben Doak.
When Liverpool made the choice to re-sign goalkeeper Adrian as third-choice shot stopper earlier in the summer, it spoke to the veteran’s value as a dressing room leader amongst both the goalkeepers and Spanish and Portuguese speaking players.
There were questions, though, as to how it might impact the club from a squad registration standpoint, and some worried needing to find space for Adrian would restrict recruitment as it would it was expected he would need to take up a foreign player slot.
It appears, though, that in Europe—where Liverpool seemed to be facing something of a selection headache—that isn’t the case, as UEFA rules stipulate that if a registered goalkeeper suffers a long-term injury or illness that they can be replaced.
Registration is more complicated for UEFA competitions where not only are four club-trained players required as part of the domestic-trained eight in order to name a full 25-man squad, but where U21 players need at least two years at a club to make the B List.
Younger players who don’t have a full two years at the club, including 21-year-old new midfield signing Ryan Gravenberch and 17-year-old winger Ben Doak, need to be included in the A List alongside other non-homegrown and non-club trained players.
Once a player ages out entirely from being B List eligibile following his 21-year-old season, he then needs to have spent three years at a club to qualify as a club trained player or three years at a club in the same federation to qualify as domestic-trained.
In the Premier League, any player who starts the season 21 or younger doesn’t need to be registered and there is no demand that any players be club-trained, simply that to reach a full 25-man squad eight of those players must be domestically trained.
