A star of Liverpool's youth academy remains critically ill after a road crash which killed two of his friends.

Sean Highdale, who has played for England Under-16s and Liverpool Under-18s, suffered critical injuries in the collision on Sunday night. Five 17-year-old boys were in a Vauxhall Astra which collided with a Volkswagen Beetle in Speke Boulevard, Halewood, Liverpool.

Some of the occupants of the Astra were thrown from the vehicle as it turned over. Thomas Benn and Kalam Wooding, both from Halewood, both died in the crash and two un-named boys remain in a serious condition at hospital. The Beetle driver suffered minor whiplash.

Merseyside Police are not treating the incident as 'joy-riding'. A spokesman said: "The three surviving boys remain critical but stable at hospital. The investigation into the cause continues."

Messages of support for Highdale have been left on the club's fansites and the youngster's MySpace page.

John Owens, Liverpool's academy manager, said: "I saw Sean yesterday and he seems to be responding on a small basis and was able to say hello. Obviously, our thoughts at this time are with Sean's family and friends because he is a very popular lad at the academy. We would like to extend our deepest sympathies to those who lost loved ones in the crash."