Liverpool Early career Born in
Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, Woodburn was raised in
Tattenhall, Cheshire, and played both
cricket and football from a young age. He joined
Liverpool's academy at under-7 level where he steadily progressed through the youth ranks, leading to former academy director Frank McParland identifying him as one of the brightest prospects at the club. When he was 15 years old, Woodburn left his high school,
Bishop Heber High School and was fast-tracked from Liverpool's under-16s to the under-18s where his rapid development saw him included in Liverpool's "Futures Group", a programme which afforded the club's most talented young players a weekly opportunity to train with then first-team
coach, Pep Lijnders.
2016–17 season in 2016 Having impressed first-team
manager Jürgen Klopp during these training sessions, Woodburn was handed his non-competitive debut during the
2016–17 pre-season in a 1–0 win over
Tranmere Rovers. He came off the bench in Liverpool's next match to score one and assist another for
Roberto Firmino in a 5–0
friendly win over
Fleetwood Town. Woodburn then, along with
Kevin Stewart and fellow academy graduate
Trent Alexander-Arnold, signed his first professional contract with Liverpool on 8 November 2016. He made his senior debut for Liverpool on 26 November, coming on as a 92nd-minute
substitute for
Georginio Wijnaldum in a 2–0 Premier League victory over
Sunderland. Three days later, he became Liverpool's
youngest goalscorer at the age of 17 years and 45 days when he came off the bench to score in an
EFL Cup quarter-final win over
Leeds United, bettering
Michael Owen's record by 98 days. His record was broken in August 2025 by
Rio Ngumoha. Following his rapid development at Liverpool, both
Sky Sports and
The Guardian named Woodburn as one of the top young players to watch in 2017. On 8 January 2017, he became the then-youngest player to represent the club in the
FA Cup when he started in a 0–0 draw with
Plymouth Argyle. His first start in the league followed on 4 April in a 2–1 away triumph over
Stoke City which saw him become the third-youngest player to start for Liverpool in the Premier League era behind Owen and
Jordon Ibe. The following week he was nominated for the 2017
European Golden Boy award, but was beaten by French forward
Kylian Mbappé. On 9 May, Woodburn won Liverpool's Academy Player of the Season award following a campaign which saw him score eight goals in
Premier League 2 and break into the first team. He was also later nominated for the Premier League 2 Player of the Season award alongside Alexander-Arnold, though the award was ultimately won by
Swansea City's
Oli McBurnie.
2017–18 season The following season, Liverpool's academy coach
Steven Gerrard named Woodburn as captain of the under-19 side for the club's
UEFA Youth League campaign, a competition which ran parallel to the season's
UEFA Champions League. He made just one senior appearance, as a substitute, Woodburn continued to represent the youth and reserve sides at the start of the second half of the season. On 21 February 2018, he scored once and
assisted another as Liverpool beat
Manchester United's U19 side 2–0 to qualify for the quarter finals of the UEFA Youth League. There, the club was eliminated by
Manchester City. He made his second and only other senior appearance for the season on 13 May, coming on as a late substitute for
Mohamed Salah in a 4–0 league win over
Brighton.
2018–19 season: Loan to Sheffield United 's 2019
UEFA Champions League triumph with his teammates On 31 July 2018, Woodburn signed on a season-long
loan with
Championship side
Sheffield United. He made his debut for the club four days later, coming off the bench for
David McGoldrick in a 2–1 loss to Swansea. He struggled for game time during the first half of the season, however, compounded by an ankle injury sustained in December and by the midway point of the campaign had only made eight appearances for the club. He was subsequently recalled from his loan by Liverpool where he spent the remainder of the season, making sporadic appearances for the club's U23 side. Woodburn was also included in the side's squad for the knockout phases of the Champions League, which Liverpool went on to win after a 2–0 victory over
Tottenham Hotspur in the
final, although he was not included in the matchday squad.
2019–20 season: Loan to Oxford United On 30 July 2019, Woodburn signed with
League One side
Oxford United on a season-long loan. He made his Oxford debut in a 1–1 draw at
Sunderland on the opening day of the
2019–20 season, and assisted
Tariqe Fosu for his team's goal. On 24 August, he scored his first goal for the club, opening the scoring in a 3–1 defeat to
Bristol Rovers. His campaign was once again disrupted by injury, however, after he suffered a broken bone in his foot in October which ruled him out for a number of weeks. Woodburn returned to Merseyside to recover but, on his final training session before reuniting with Oxford in December, suffered a "carbon copy" of the injury in his other foot; an injury head coach
Karl Robinson later revealed stemmed from the peculiar manner in which the player bore weight on his feet.
2020–21 season: Loan to Blackpool On 16 October 2020, Woodburn joined
Blackpool on loan until 17 January. He linked up again with the former under-23s head coach at Liverpool, now manager at Blackpool,
Neil Critchley. He made his debut for the club on 20 October 2020, in a 1–0 defeat to
Charlton Athletic.
2021–22 season: Loan to Hearts On 23 August 2021, Woodburn signed with
Scottish Premiership club
Heart of Midlothian on a season-long loan. He made his debut for the club on 28 August 2021, in a 2–0 win against
Dundee United. He scored his first goals for the club on 6 November 2021, netting twice in a 5–2 win against Dundee United. In June 2022, it was announced by Liverpool that he would leave the club at the end of the month when his contract expired.
Preston North End On 4 July 2022, following the expiry of his Liverpool contract, Woodburn signed a one-year contract with
Championship side
Preston North End with an option for a further year. He made his debut for the club on 30 July 2022, in a 0–0 draw with
Wigan Athletic. He scored his first goal for the club on 23 August 2022, in a 2–1 defeat to
Wolverhampton Wanderers in the
EFL Cup. On 17 May 2024, the club announced he would be released in the summer when his contract expired.
Salford City On 23 July 2024, Woodburn joined
League Two side
Salford City on a two-year contract. He made his debut for the club on 10 August 2024, in a 2–0 defeat to
Port Vale. He scored his first goal for the club on 19 October 2024, in a 1–1 draw with
Crewe Alexandra. ==International career==