Matt Beard ready to welcome back ‘fantastic’ Liverpool Women’s star
Liverpool Women manager Matt Beard has singled out defender Hannah Silcock as a player to watch for the 2024/25 Women’s Super League campaign.
Beard wrote his first column of the 2024/25 season on 9 August and has tipped Silcock to shine for the Reds this season.
The 19-year-old made 21 appearances in the Women’s Championship during a loan spell with Blackburn Rovers last term.
He said: “I think Hannah could have got into our team towards the second half of last season. If people knew Hannah’s journey, I mean growing up she had a lot of injuries when she was younger because she grew so quick and it led to muscle injuries and things like that.
“What we wanted to do when we sent Hannah to Blackburn on loan last season was to see her play every week, get 90 minutes, and she pretty much did that, so from that side it has built that robustness, it has built that in her to know she can do it.
“Hannah is a very talented player. She had a bit of a niggle the back end of last season when she picked up a knee injury in her last game so she is a couple of weeks behind the others in pre-season, but she is a fantastic talent who has a great future ahead of her here that’s for sure.”
Hannah Silcock tipped for important Liverpool season
The importance of having a Scouser in the side has never felt more apparent following the departure of Missy Bo Kearns to Aston Villa last week.
Her sale was a tough pill to swallow, for Liverpool fans as one of their own, left the side to guarantee regular first team minutes in the WSL.
Still, Beard is making strides with the Reds and looking to capitalise on the momentum from last season’s fourth-place finish in the league.
Fenway Sports Group outlined their intentions to back the side this summer with the club-record purchase of Olivia Smith for £210,000 from Sporting CP, Beard also exciting players in the existing squad ready to make an impact this season.
Silcock gained much-needed experience in the Championship last term as she became a regular at Blackburn and helped the side achieve a sixth-place finish.
Now, Beard believes she is ready to step up to the WSL, put her injury woes behind her, and challenge for a first team spot, she is not quite there yet, but a year’s experience in the second-tier will have fast-tracked her development.
Liverpool have an exciting young and talented side that can create problems for Arsenal, Manchester City, and Chelsea at the top of the WSL this season. Silcock can establish herself as a key player for the side but needs to prioritise her fitness before she challenges for a first team spot.
In other Liverpool news, Anfield is set to host multiple women’s matches this coming season in the WSL.
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