Spirits are soaring high as Liverpool set their sights on more trophies following their inspiring Carabao Cup triumph. The Reds outfoxed Chelsea with a seriously depleted squad and made headlines after bringing on their rising young stars.
Bobby Clark, James McConnell, Lewis Koumas, Trey Nyoni, and Jayden Danns were all included in the squad at Wembley, and the the five returned to action in the FA Cup in Liverpool’s 3-0 win over Southampton.
Koumas enjoyed a dream debut by bagging himself a goal just before half-time. He eventually made way for Danns, who rounded off the scoring with a second half brace to see Liverpool into the next round. The 18-year-old described it as ‘the best day of his life’ and naturally, he and his young teammates are a hot topic right now for stepping up in the absence of a number of key senior players.
The likes of Mohamed Salah, Darwin Núñez, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Trent Alexander-Arnold missed both recent cup matches and many predicted Liverpool to falter in their absence. Jurgen Klopp’s faith in his youth players has paid off so far and it’s opened up a huge new chapter for the rising stars.
Danns’ father Neil — who also spent time as a youth player at Liverpool before representing the likes of Crystal Palace and Leicester at senior level — is delighted with Klopp’s approach to integrating the youngsters. However, he fears there is a chance this will not receive the same attention once the manager leaves his role at the end of the season.
“It’s been crazy. As I know and Jayden knows, this is just the start. The hard work begins now, he’s done fantastic to get where he is but it’s just the start and once again, what an absolute legend of a manager Jurgen Klopp has been showing faith in these kids,” Nail Danns told talkSPORT.
“It’s probably a worry for every Liverpool fan [Klopp’s departure], not just in terms of bringing the kids through. Anyone looking from the outside can see what Jurgen Klopp has done at Liverpool. So I’m sure the owners when they’re doing their research on who to bring in next will fully make them aware that there has been something built and they don’t want anyone coming in and tearing down that good work because it’s been absolutely outstanding.”
Liverpool are scouring the market for the most suitable candidate to replace Klopp, but many know that a big adjustment period will be required after nine years of the German’s influence.