LFC Academy
The New Goalscorer in Town
Born in Whiston Hospital and brought up in Huyton as a football-mad Liverpool FC supporter, Bobby was first spotted in junior football for a team playing in St Helens. There are parallels between LFC Academy starlet Bobby Duncan and Reds' legend Steven Gerrard which are impossible to ignore. And that's without even mentioning the fact that 17-year-old Duncan is Rangers FC manager Gerrard's cousin.
Yet to get to Liverpool FC's Academy Duncan, who plays as a striker, took a rather different route than Stevie G. At the age of seven he was already a prolific goalscorer for Mossley Hill before moving on to St Helens Town where he was scouted by Wigan Athletic FC. After 18 months with the Latics, at the age of 10, Manchester City FC came calling.
Bobby's goalscoring talent soon became obvious at both club and schoolboy level. Duncan fired Cardinal Heenan High School – which is just a mile away from LFC's Melwood training ground – to National Cup glory by netting 24 goals, a new national schoolboy record. Meanwhile he was also banging in the goals for Manchester City FC and in 2015/16 scored a total of 66 times – a remarkable tally.
In December 2016 he became the first player at any level to score a hat-trick for England against Brazil, netting three times in an Under-16s international at Brazil’s national training centre, the Granja Comary complex. England won 4-3.
“When I heard that it had never been done before against Brazil, I was buzzing. It was an unbelievable feeling,” he told the Liverpool ECHO. “It had never been done before and to think that some kid from Huyton has now done it is amazing.”
Despite his goals Bobby felt his pathway to the first-team was blocked at the Etihad and turned down the offer of a professional contract, leaving Manchester City FC in August 2017. However, City retained Duncan's registration meaning he spent 2017/18 without a club, training with Wigan Athletic FC's first-team to maintain his fitness and remained so highly regarded that England continued to select him.
Bobby scored for the Three Lions in a 2-0 European Under-17s Championships quarter-final win against Norway in May 2018. Three months later the left-footed forward secured a dream move to Liverpool FC when a deal was agreed with Manchester City FC and is now hoping to make an impact for the Reds like his cousin did.
“My dad used to give me a DVD to go and watch in the car and it had all of Steven’s goals on it. I used to watch that over and over again thinking ‘one day that could be me’. I’ve always looked up to Steven. What he achieved in his career inspires me. He always had that hunger and desire to win trophies. As well as talent, it was his attitude, character and leadership that made him the player he was.”
Duncan has hit the ground running for the Reds, netting eight goals in eight domestic games for Barry Lewtas' Under-18s side including a last-minute winner in a 1-0 victory against Manchester City FC at The Academy. “I love this club!” he tweeted three days later. And this Club loves a goalscorer, something we all hope Bobby Duncan will go on to be.
