Liam's dream was to play for Liverpool as teenager meets Reds heroes

16-year-old Liam McCallum was invited to meet his Anfield heroes thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Liam was tragically hit by a car in 2017 when playing football near his home in Liscolman, County Antrim, meaning he suffered life changing injuries as a result.

A Liverpool fanatic, Liam would swap the countryside for Melwood as he got to meet his heroes - including defender Virgil van Djk and manager Jurgen Klopp.

Speaking to the News Letter from Liverpool Airport, mum Natasha reflected on 'an amazing day' as they got to watch the Reds train and see how they eat.

"Meeting players and staff at Liverpool was Liam's Make-A-Wish application," she said.

"It was an amazing day as we were taken to the AXA Training Centre and visited the press room and saw how the chefs prepare their food.

"Jurgen Klopp came in and Liam really adores him and despite Liam not being able to speak, he was really pleasant by asking lots of questions and gave him a hug.

"Players also came over for a chat like Virgil Van Dijk, Jordan Henderson and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who were all lovely and were only too happy to sign autographs.

"Adrian, the goalkeeper, gave Liam a pair of signed gloves which said 'wish you all the best, amigo' and you could tell he felt a connection with Liam.

"We got to see the players train for a short period of time and it was a magical day."

The interaction with Klopp would turn out to be a bittersweet moment for the family as they told the Liverpool boss that Liam's dream was to play for the Reds.

"We told Jurgen that Liam's accident happened when he was playing football," he continued.

"Football was Liam's life and he was never too far away from a ball.

"Seeing Jurgen and Liam was very emotional and you could see the tears in Jurgen's eyes when he found out his story.

"Liam loves watching Liverpool, knows the players and has a great knowledge despite not being able to talk.

"We would like to thank everyone who made this possible, including Make-A-Wish Foundation and Liverpool FC."