Liverpool forward Paul Glatzel reveals the secret of a prolific goal partnership with Bobby Duncan

The dream of most Liverpool fans is to score a winning goal at Anfield, in front of the Kop.

For Paul Glatzel, however, it's just a sign that he's just started.

The Reds' teenage striker scored two goals at the end of the season to allow Liverpool to win a 2-1 FA semi-final win over Watford last month.

Now, as with Jurgen Klopp's first team, Manchester City is between Barry Lewtas youth and the cutlery.

"Everyone is buzzing," said Glatzel, who as skipper will lead under-18s on Thursday. "The Youth Cup final is a great match and City is a good team.

"I think the fact that City is giving the game an added benefit, yes. The first team is fighting for the titles, and we want to emulate what it does, which also makes us win titles. "

Glatzel's attack on Watford earned him 28 goals for the season, a campaign in which he also broke into the Under-23 category and scored wins at West Ham United and Bournemouth in February.

Anfield, however, has been the culmination until now. "It's an incredible feeling to score in the semifinal of the Youth Cup and then to do it in front of the Kop," he says.

"It's something you dream about when you're a kid. But it was not as complete as in my dream! "

Glatzel, 18 in February, is certainly catching up with lost time after a development that has not been done without significant obstacles.

The slightest opportunity not to miss the opportunity to work with Steven Gerrard and the U18 last season.

"I did not play as much as Steven with Steven, which was obviously difficult because he's a legend and a model," says the teenager.

"But it seems like I'm doing well and I think it made me a player. Mentally, it has helped a lot to know that you can overcome these difficulties.

"In recent years, I've had injuries. I had a hamstring injury for the under 16s, which went from January to the end of the season.

"Then, on the way home, I broke my leg, which made me miss the start of the next season, which was my first year as a researcher. Then I had problems during this season.

"Do you worry about your future? Yes, it's still in your head.

"But if you have enough confidence in your abilities when you're in shape, and you think you have what it takes to stay and fight for a contract, then that will help you."

Glatzel has not been successful overnight, being a regular at the Academy since the age of five. His story is not particularly routine.

Originally from Germany, her first name is Pow-ool, her parents, Peter and Julia, settled in Liverpool in search of a job before settling in Wigan.

"They loved England and stayed for a year and a year and they just decided to stay," says Glatzel. "I was born in Liverpool and from there, they never thought of coming back.

"It's just me and my parents in England, everyone is in Germany, so I often go back home to see my family. It is to the northwest, near Dortmund and Cologne, called Bochum. "

Glatzel has already played for under-18s in Germany, but remains open to a possible transfer to his home country – "I have not yet made a decision on this", did he declared – and his family will come from Germany for Thursday's final.

The season has been encouraging for the U18 Liverpool, which have reached the knockout stages of the UEFA Youth League and are still looking for the Premier League title.

The key to success is the strike partnership between Glatzel and Bobby Duncan, who has scored 29 goals since arriving in Manchester City in the summer.

"We knew each other across England," says Glatzel. "So when he came, I was excited by the fact that he came to play with me and I think he was excited to come play with me too. We simply understand each other's game, the movement.

"Being able to lead the line with two attackers at the top, as the training allowed, helped us to create opportunities for each other and for ourselves, as evidenced by our goals and the help we got. . . It really helped us become players. "

When asked how the two men are different, Glatzel bursts out laughing: "I think I'm a little more reserved. He loves his social media! He's a good boy, we all love him here, we're friends too.

"I would not really say that there is a rivalry, we both like scoring goals but at the end of the day everything revolves around the team, we both see it."

Due to changes in the competition, Thursday's FA Youth Cup final will be a unique match played at the Manchester City Academy Stadium, in front of Etihad.

"I would say it's an additional challenge," Glatzel told the prospect that the match is essentially an away match.

"There may be a few more City fans than Liverpool, but that's something we've just seen. Hope we can just block all this.

"It's a big tournament. Some winners have continued their career and have become professional footballers, but others do not.

"You want to be part of the history of the cup, but you must continue to progress.

"But it's a very big thing. If we had to win, it would be incredible. "