Liverpool U18s coach Marc Bridge-Wilkinson has hailed the recent performances of 16-year-old Jayden Danns.
Danns has stepped into the 18s of late, to help ease the blow of injury to Lewis Koumas. And speaking to the Liverpool Echo, Bridge-Wilkinson insists that the young forward has ‘taken his chance.’
“Jayden has done really well. He has taken his chance since he’s been in the team and has been in some really nice form,” said the coach. “Like any youngster, he still has a lot of work to do but the signs have been positive so far.”
With Koumas said to be ‘a little while off’ returning, there looks set to be more chances ahead for Danns. One to look out for, Reds.
Like father like son
Just like Koumas, it turns out that Danns’ father was also a Premier League footballer.
Whereas Lewis’ dad Jason turned out for Wigan Athletic and West Bromwich Albion in the top division, Jayden’s old man Neil represented both Blackburn Rovers and Birmingham City.
In fact, Neil is still playing. Now aged forty, the midfielder plays for Macclesfield in the Northern Premier League Division One West.
If that sounds familiar, then well done! Because as it happens, Neil is actually a current teammate of another of Liverpool’s bright young prospects.
He may be injured at the moment, but Marcelo Pitaluga is expected to return to Macclesfield upon his recovery.
So, although it’s unlikely that we’ll ever see a dad-and-lad combination of the Danns,’ the hope will be that Pitaluga and Dann junior can one day link up at Anfield.
That’s still a long way off for now. But by the sounds of it, Jayden has began life in the upper underage groups very promisingly.
As the prolific Koumas continues his rehabilitation, Bridge-Wilkinson will be hoping the youngster can keep on stepping up to the plate.
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