Liverpool’s squad update hints another player has quietly left the club – Liverpool FC

Midfielder Matteo Ritaccio, who joined Liverpool from BW Gottschee in 2018, is believed to have left the club having not been included on their retained list.

Ritaccio arrived on Merseyside as a 16-year-old, having impressed on trial, joining as part of the U18s squad for 2018/19.

There were high hopes for the American midfielder, who signed his first professional contract in 2019, though injuries derailed his progress to the U23s.

His last outing for the club was as far back as 2021, when he left the pitch in tears after suffering another injury in a 4-1 defeat to Bolton in the EFL Trophy.

Following a difficult loan with Charleston Battery in his native United States, little has been seen of Ritaccio bar fleeting appearances at the AXA Training Centre.

It now appears as though the 22-year-old has left the club, having not been included on Liverpool’s retained list for the 2024/25 campaign.

Ritaccio has also seen his profile removed from the club’s official website, with suggestions that he was released as early as January this year.

The New Yorker had already spent the recent months back in the US, and the understanding is that he has now returned on a permanent basis.

His terms at Anfield did run through the 2023/24 campaign, but the likelihood is that an agreement was reached for his early return to America.

Also not named on Liverpool’s retained list was goalkeeper Oscar Kelly, though the 21-year-old was expected to have taken up a coaching role within the academy.

Eight academy players were confirmed to have been released, with the most notable names being Mateusz Musialowski, Melkamu Frauendorf and Adam Lewis.

Luke Hewitson, Niall Osborne, Francis Gyimah, Nathan Giblin and Cody Pennington have also been let go, while contract offers were made to training goalkeepers Reece Trueman and Jacob Poytress.

Another goalkeeper, U18s regular Nathan Morana, saw his scholarship extended into its second year.