Liverpool beat MK Dons 2-0 in the Carabao Cup yesterday and the confident performances of Ki-Jana Hoever and Harvey Elliott wowed one former Red.
The kids are alright. Liverpool Football Club progressed to the fourth round of the Carabao Cup last night with a 2-0 victory away at MK Dons. Former Red, Stephen Warnock was particularly impressed with the confidence of Harvey Elliott and Ki-Jana Hoever.
Warnock was speaking as a pundit on Sky Sports after the match and highlighted the talent and maturity of recent signing Elliott:
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“Maturity way beyond his years. The first time I saw him play at Liverpool, often you see youngsters who take too many touches, but he’s pinging things in; one touch round the corner, clever play.”
He was particularly impressed with how he responded to an early miss when he hit the crossbar:
“When he hit the crossbar early on, from so close, might have dented his confidence. It didn’t at all. This guy is full of confidence.”
Stephen Warnock – who won the Champions League in 2005 under Rafa Benitez – attributed the towering of performance of fellow full back Ki-Jana Hoever to those who are surrounding at present:
“He’s got senior players around him, giving him that confidence and Jurgen Klopp seems to me to be the manager who will give you that confidence.”
Though he is well aware that those youngsters – 16 and 17 years-old respectively – have to “take that confidence on to the football pitch. They have to believe that as well.”
There was no visible fear in the pair last night who were the pick of the young players. Curtis Jones received the Man-of-the-Match award from Sky Sports, while the club gave that honor to Elliott.
Rhian Brewster and Caoimhin Kelleher both delivered solid performances and didn’t look out-of-place next to the first team regulars.
You can watch both of Elliott’s crossbar rattling attempts and Hoever’s goal here:
Where fans may have been frustrated in recent transfer windows that the club has not splashed the cash to improve the squad you can see the benefit of investing in youth and creating opportunities for them to develop. Exciting times to be a Red.