Liverpool 'leak' their own away kit before official release and fans instantly noticed it

Liverpool appear to have accidentally 'leaked' their own away kit before its official release - and fans quickly noticed.

While the Reds have launched their traditional red home kit for the new season, the identity of their new away kit hasn't been revealed.

But Footy Headlines has already circulated several images of the 'leaked' kit, which is black with a blue sleeve outline. The kit has also been available to purchase online at some outlets.

Supporters will have been surprised, therefore, to see Liverpool's under-18 side wearing the new away kit - which is the same as the 'leaked' kits - in a Bundesliga Cup youth friendly against German side Frankfurt on Saturday.

It was quickly noticed by fans, with several images of the kit being posted on social media.

The Reds haven't had a black away kit since the 2016/17 season, with last year's kit being white with green squares.

The fixture was overshadowed by an allegation of racist abuse by a Frankfurt player towards one of the Liverpool players.

German outlet Bild claim that the player in question - who has not been named - made a complaint to the referee, who decided to abandon the match and award a 3-0 victory to the Reds after their players left the pitch.

An official Liverpool statement read: "Liverpool FC can confirm that a member of our under-18 team reported he was racially abused by an opponent while playing in the Bundesliga Cup youth tournament at Schwabisch Hall in Germany on Friday.

"The player immediately alerted the match official, his team-mates and our coaching staff. Consequently, LFC's management team decided to stop the game and leave the pitch together.

"In a further incident, the same player was the target of abuse during a fixture in the tournament today. Again, the player alerted his team-mates and coaching staff and our management team opted to leave the pitch once more."

Frankfurt released a statement of their own to Bild, saying that their player had denied the use of any racial term: "After consultation, our player confirmed that he had used the word 'digga', which is common in youth slang, during a normal game. We have no doubt that this statement is correct.

"We can rule out racism, it is a linguistic issue and we therefore hope that we have also cleared up the misunderstanding with the players concerned and those responsible at Liverpool FC."