JUAN NACHO ORTIZ LIVERPOOL FC ACADEMY PLAYER

Juan Ignacio "Nacho" Huertas Ortiz (born 16 December 1993) is a Spanish footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for the Liverpool Academy.

In July 2011, Liverpool invited Albacete's Nacho for a trial with the under-18s. The young midfielder impressed greatly with his play, netting four goals in two pre-season friendly games, earning the Spaniard a permanent switch to Liverpool. The deal is reported to be worth an initial £150,000, with an additional £100,000 due if Nacho debuts for the senior team and a following £320,000 if he makes 10 senior appearances. There is also a 15% sell-on clause. It is believed that Liverpool beat competition from the likes of Villarreal, Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid for the young starlet's signature.

Despite his pre-season exploits, Nacho didn't figure for the under-18s until the latter part of the 2011-12 season due to injury. He made his competitive debut on 24 February 2012 against Everton, and went on to feature in every remaining game for the side that season. He netted his first competitive goal for the side on 17 March 2012- a penalty- in a 5-2 victory over Sunderland, and added a further two for the season (including another penalty) to finish with stats of three goals in eight games. He also aided his side with several assists.