Jim Goodwin hopes Liverpool can be persuaded to allow Luca Stephenson to return to Dundee United this summer.
But even if the Reds have other plans, the Tangerines boss has identified other Anfield academy targets who could benefit from a season at Tannadice, just as Stephenson did.
The 21-year-old prospect – who was a key member of the United squad who qualified for Europe last season – is entering the final year of his Liverpool contract.
He has expressed his willingness to return to Tannadice, but it remains to be seen how talks with his parent club will progress.
However they go, United’s boss is a fan of Liverpool’s academy and is ready to welcome more prospects to Tannadice.
And he hopes Stephenson’s experiences will help foster the developing relationship of trust between the clubs.
Goodwin said: “I had a really good conversation in depth with Luca prior to him leaving.
“He was outstanding for us and deservedly won our Young Player of the Year award.
“We missed him towards the end of the season when he was unavailable.
“We missed his energy in the middle of the pitch, his ability to break things up and his desire to get forward.
“I thought it was glaringly obvious that we missed his presence in the middle of the park in some of the games.
“I’d love to bring Luca back, but he’s under contract at Liverpool, so we’ll just need to wait and see what happens with that.
Asked whether he has had any direct discussions with Liverpool about bringing Stephenson back to United, Goodwin was forthright, saying: “No. I speak to their loans manager, Matt Newberry, who I’ve got a good relationship with.
“[Leighton] Clarkson went to Aberdeen, obviously, a couple of years ago [when Goodwin was Dons boss].
“He was really good to deal with again with regards to bringing Luca up.”
But the manager also lifted the lid on his plans to bring more Reds prospects to Tannadice, saying: “They’ve got a fantastic academy down there, as you’d imagine, so we’ll try and tap into that again in the summer.
“I’ve already identified a couple of really good ones, but it’s just whether we can get them to Scotland or not.
“It’s a relationship that we’ll continue to try and work on.
“They’re a great club to deal with.
“Luca’s going back down the road speaking positively about his time at Dundee United.
“I think that’s the most important thing when these loans come up.
“When they go back down to England, they’re talking about the Scottish game and about how they got treated at Dundee United in a positive manner.
“That can only stand us in good stead for the summer, when we have to go and try and do something similar.”
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