Liverpool have agreed to send 21-year-old defender James Norris out on loan to League of Ireland outfit Shelbourne until the end of the campaign.

The left-back has only ever featured twice for the Reds first-team but has appeared 10 times in Premier League 2 this season.

Norris will link up with former Chelsea and Newcastle winger Damien Duff in Ireland.

The two-time Premier League winner took charge at Shelbourne in November 2021 after enjoying spells as assistant manager of Celtic and the Republic of Ireland.

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Norris joined Liverpool at under-9s and progressed through the club’s academy before signing his first professional contract in 2020.

He made his Reds debut as a late substitute in December 2019 when Liverpool were forced to field an academy side during a Carabao Cup clash with Aston Villa as Jurgen Klopp had taken his first-team squad to Qatar for the Club World Cup.

Norris came off the bench for the final eight minutes of that clash as the Merseyside giants were hammered 5-0 at Villa Park.

He then came off the bench for a minute during Liverpool’s 4-1 FA Cup third round thrashing of Shrewsbury at the start of 2022.

Norris, who spent last season on loan with Tranmere in League Two, was quizzed about his FA Cup debut for Liverpool during an interview with This is Anfield a few years ago.

And the young star explained: “It was getting a bit late in the game, so I didn’t know if I was going to get on.

“The manager pulled me and [Kostas] Tsimikas and said, ‘Get warm.’ So I got my kit off and got ready as soon as possible.

If there is information you need to be told he’s not scared to tell you and he’ll let you know.

“I remember the first time I went up there I was a bit slow getting out to my man in the drills, and he just put an arm around me and went, ‘You need to be quicker, you need to be sharper.’

“It’s like the blueprint of Andy Robertson - aggression, attacking and getting forward.

He’s finding the perfect blueprint to follow.”

Shelbourne play in the League of Ireland Premier Division, with their new campaign getting underway on Friday as the team defeated Derry City 3-1.
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