The best Liverpool Academy players you haven’t heard of yet

Rhian Brewster

When was the last time Chelsea brought through a promising talent from their academy? Let’s be honest the only one anybody can think of is John Terry and this is despite the unthinkable amount of money that owner Roman Abramovic has sunk in to the clubs academy and their almost total dominance of youth football in England.

This summer has seen many of the clubs best youngsters jump the ship in search of first team football with Dominic Solanke signing for Liverpool and impressing many on the clubs current preseason tour. But he isn’t the first Chelsea striker to leave Stamford Bridge in search of first team football at Anfield.

Rhian Brewster decided to leave Chelsea aged 14 after spending seven years at the club. His reasoning was simple, he just didn’t see a clear pathway to the first team. It’s an unbelievable piece of foresight for one so young but according to the man himself it wasn’t as difficult a decision as many might think.

"“I was at Chelsea from the age of seven to 14 but then I told them I wanted to look at my options because I didn’t see a pathway to become a first-team player there,” he said in an interview with Liverpoolfc.com “There were a few clubs interested but once I knew Liverpool were one of them it was an easy choice. “Liverpool is a club that does give young players opportunities and it’s a great feeling to play for this club.”"

Brewster has been a regular on the score sheet for the reds and England at youth level. But it was a hat-trick for the first team during a practice match at Selwood that brought him to the attention of Jurgen Klopp and has since seen him take up a regular place during first team training.

"“That was a great experience. I didn’t think I was going to start and to then score the first goal after a great team move was a fantastic feeling. Then got a second goal and luckily for me I managed to get a hat-trick. I got a ‘well done’ from the boss which was amazing. My confidence was sky-high.”"

Looking at his highlight reel I can’t help but see a comparison with Daniel Sturridge. Brewster has amazing quick feet and can skip away from challenges with ease. He also likes to come deep and link in with build up play which is where his vision and amazing passing range come in to play. From here he can also turn and run at defenders with frightening pace. But most importantly he scores goals on a regular basis and at every level he has been tested at.