ABERYSTWYTH Town have bolstered their squad with two former Liverpool players before the campaign heads into phase two.

Midfielder Abdi Sharif, formerly of Liverpool FC and Wigan Athletic, and right back Cuba Cline, ex Liverpool and Leeds United, have made the move to Park Avenue until the end of the season.

Originally from Somalia, Sharif emigrated to the UK at a young age and began training with his boyhood club Liverpool FC at the age of six.

He formally joined the club three years later, flourishing throughout his development in the academy ranks.

The central midfielder gained a rich footballing education at Anfield, most notably being coached by Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard, and was a member of the FA Youth Cup-winning U18s side in 2019 before signing his first professional contract with the Reds.

Poised to take up a focal role with the Reds’ U23s, a pre-season ACL injury in summer 2019 saw him miss the season to injury – however, the club showed their belief in the youngster by agreeing a new contract for the following season as he made his return to the pitch.

After over a decade with the Merseyside club, he departed in June 2021, joining Wigan Athletic on trial at the start of pre-season.

He scored in both of the Latics U21s’ pre-season games against Hyde United and Alvechurch, shortly thereafter being offered a two-year professional deal at the DW Stadium.

In October 2023, he represented Somalia in an international friendly away in Niger, playing the full 90 minutes at Stade Général Seyni Kountché in its capital, Niamey.

A month later, he enjoyed a brief spell at Telford United before returning to the U21 side at Wigan Athletic.

In May 2023, he made history as the first Somali player in EFL Championship history as he came off the bench for the Latics in a 0-0 draw with Rotherham Utd on the final day of the season.

Having been released at the end of the following 2023/24 season, he joins up with the Seasiders until the end of the season.

Aber boss Antonio Corbisiero said: “Abdi is a player with an abundance of talent – he has excellent feet, is very lively, and needed only one training session with us to demonstrate his quality on the pitch and his positive attitude toward the game.

“We’re very excited to work with him and believe he will be an excellent addition to our squad for the remainder of the season.”

Hailing from Liverpool, Cline spent six years with the Reds’ academy and was capped at Under-15 level by England during his time on Merseyside.

At 16-years-old, he joined Leeds United in February 2021 and was offered a two-year professional contract in July 2022 which kept him at Elland Road until this past summer.

He made 35 appearances for Leeds across the U18 Premier League, Premier League 2 and FA Youth Cup, playing alongside names such as Archie Gray, Mateo Joseph, and Cymru international Charlie Crew.

Corbisiero added: “Cuba is a very strong and powerful right-back with excellent ability who has settled in very well over the past month or so in training.

“We’re very much looking forward to working with him and seeing what he and Abdi can bring to the squad as we push on into Phase 2 of the season.”