Liverpool youngster handed lengthy ban after aiming a punch at Man Utd player
Liverpool academy star Luca Furnell-Gill is currently serving a five-match ban after elbowing and throwing a punch towards a Manchester United player during an under-18s clash.
Furnell-Gill, 17, admitted a disciplinary charge following the rival teams’ heated U18 Premier League North encounter at United’s Carrington training base on January 30. Footage which went viral on social media showed the defender lash out at United forward Ethan Wheatley during Liverpool’s 4-3 defeat.
In the second half, Furnell-Gill was seen aiming a punch towards Wheatley while he chased United midfielder Ethan Williams in the build-up to the home side’s second goal. Later, Furnell-Gill clashed with Wheatley again, this time targeting him with his right elbow while the ball was further upfield.
Both players were spoken to by the match referee but neither of them were punished as a result of the altercation. However, the FA have now confirmed that Furnell-Gill is currently serving a lengthy suspension after being absent for Liverpool’s last four U18 matches, including their victory over Fulham in the FA Youth Cup and their eventual exit from the competition away to Leeds United last weekend
A report from the Liverpool ECHO adds that academy director Alex Inglethorpe contacted his United counterparts the morning after the unsavoury incident to apologise for Furnell-Gill’s behaviour. The former Preston North End youngster is said to have expressed remorse for his actions.
Furnell-Gill joined Liverpool’s academy from Preston at U15 level and he’s since transitioned from a winger to centre-back. The Steeton-born prospect was handed his debut for the U18s last season while he was still an U16 player.
Managed by ex-Port Vale, Bradford City and Carlisle United midfielder Marc Bridge-Wilkinson, Furnell-Gill has played alongside the likes of Lewis Koumas and Jayden Danns, who recently broke into the senior setup amid the Reds’ ongoing injury crisis. Jurgen Klopp recently hailed the work of those such as Bridge-Wilkinson, who told This Is Anfield in response: “For the first-team manager to say that in public, in the press, I think it’s really special.
“I think that not just myself, but (for) every in the academy, it makes you feel really proud of the work we put in every day. The work goes on tirelessly here (at the academy) but without a manager that is willing to play the young players, Pep (Lijnders) and (Vitor Matos) and everyone else there, John (Achterberg) and everyone else up there.
“Without that staff believing in the younger players and believing in the process then it still wouldn’t happen. So, I don’t think it’s us and I don’t think it’s them. They’re the ones that have to do the hardest part which is to put the young boys in, and we’re forever thankful that obviously the manager has done that over the years.”
