Liverpool's lack of senior strikers has prompted Brendan Rodgers to include Samed Yesil in his plans for the Europa League tie against Young Boys on Thursday.

The 18-year-old, signed from Bayer Leverkusen for £1m in the final week of the transfer window, will be promoted to the first-team squad in Berne as Rodgers attempts to eke out his slender resources ahead of the Premier League meeting with Manchester United on Sunday.

Yesil made his first appearance for Liverpool on Saturday in the Under-21s' 4-1 win over Chelsea and could be joined by Suso, an 18-year-old Spanish forward, in what is likely to be a youthful Liverpool side for the opening game in Group A.

The Liverpool manager confirmed: "Samed will certainly be fast-tracked. He will be involved in the Europa League game. I watched him play [for Germany] against England Under-19s the other week when he scored two terrific goals and set up another."

Liverpool's failure to replace Andy Carroll on transfer deadline day has left Rodgers with only Luis Suárez and Fabio Borini as recognised senior forwards until January. In response the manager preferred to turn to the club's academy rather than pursue free agents such as Michael Owen and he is expected to give several young players an opportunity in Switzerland.

He said: "The biggest thing for young players now is that the introduction of Raheem Sterling has given the seven- and eight-year-olds the one thing in life you want – hope. Every young academy player, every parent or guardian, has got hope that a young player will play at Liverpool. I moved a lot of the young players up to Melwood [training ground] during international week and you could see it in their attitude. They have a spring in their step. They feel that they have got a chance. And they will get that. There is nothing better than when you see a young kid come through.

"A lot of people have done great work with Raheem over a period of time. All I have done is give him a chance. There will be that chance for Yesil and one or two other boys over these period of months now."