Liverpool's Leighton Clarkson joins Aberdeen on loan

Liverpool midfielder Leighton Clarkson has signed for Scottish Premiership side Aberdeen on a season-long loan deal.

The 20-year-old has risen through the youth ranks to make three senior appearances for Liverpool in all tournaments under Jurgen Klopp, but he was restricted to Under-23s outings in the second half of last season.

Clarkson spent the first half of the 2021-22 campaign at Blackburn Rovers and played seven Championship matches before returning to Merseyside, where he contributed two goals and three assists in 12 Premier League 2 matches.

Liverpool had already done business with Aberdeen this summer to bring Calvin Ramsay to the club, and Clarkson will now spend the next several months on loan at Pittodrie.

"As you can imagine Leighton has had a very high standard of coaching within the LFC Academy and he has already represented Liverpool at first team level in the FA Cup and Champions League," Aberdeen manager Jim Goodwin told the club's official website.

"He is a ball playing midfielder who always makes himself available as an option for his teammates. He's brave in possession and at the right times is willing to try the difficult pass which some midfielders don't always have the ability or courage to attempt. That is something we will continue to encourage.

"We're very grateful to Liverpool for their assistance in making this loan possible and hope they will see Aberdeen as a suitable club for some of their young prospects to continue their development in the future."

Clarkson played the full 90 for Liverpool in a 1-1 Champions League group-stage draw with Midtjylland in December 2020, and he has made two further senior appearances in the FA Cup and EFL Cup.