Skip to content

Flanagan commits to Liverpool

Image: Flanagan: Reports suggest the right-back has signed a four-year deal

Teenage Liverpool defender John Flanagan has signed a contract extension.

Teenager signs contract extension at Anfield

Liverpool's teenage defender John Flanagan has been backed to continue his impressive development after it was confirmed that he has signed a contract extension. The 18-year-old committed to new terms at the club's Melwood training ground on Friday lunchtime and it is reported that the deal is set for a four-year period. After earned praise in Liverpool's Under-18 side earlier in the season, Flanagan, who was only 12 months into a previous three-year deal, made seven appearances for the senior team at the end of the last campaign. Having already agreed an extension with Glen Johnson on Wednesday, director of football Damien Comolli is now delighted another right-back has committed his future. The Frenchman told Liverpool's official website of Flanagan: "The first thing everyone will say is he deserves it because he did so well for us towards the end of last season. "Flanno had a long time left on his current deal but we felt it was the right thing to do, to reward him for what he's done.

Progress

"His attitude is absolutely terrific. As you see him on the pitch - committed, dedicated, the intensity of his game - is what he's like off the pitch. "He's very professional, he knows how to look after himself and who to listen to, and I think that's why he's improved so quickly." Flanagan impressed for his age when thrown into the Premier League by manager Kenny Dalglish, but he also had difficult matches, particularly against Newcastle's Jonas Gutierrez. And Comolli points out that there are still aspects of the Liverpool-born defender's game which require work. "He's only 18-years-old and he's still got so much room for improvement in every area of his game - but he's already very good going forward, technically he's very sound," said Comolli. "I'm sure in two years' time we'll talk about him having made even bigger progress. We're really looking forward to his development and seeing how he's going to do." Liverpool leave for a pre-season tour of the Far East on Sunday, which will conclude a week in which they have signed Charlie Adam.

Around Sky