19-year-old youngster is making serious progress at Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp is noticing

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Last summer, as Jurgen Klopp launched his Liverpool 2.0, it was clear he was looking ahead to the future. In pre-season the club’s fans were greeted by new faces.

From signings with youth and vigour, to youngsters being promoted from the club’s academy there was an evident change in the make-up of the squad.

That change has given Liverpool a new look. And it’s a look that suits the Reds really well – with Klopp’s side currently sitting top of the Premier League table.

Among the youngsters to have been promoted from the academy, one player has gone under the radar.

With Jarell Quansah getting many of the plaudits, it has gone under the radar just how impressive James McConnell has been since pre-season.

The 19-year-old Liverpool youngster wowed Klopp with his performances in the number six position over the course of last summer, and he’s gone onto make his debut in Europe and the Premier League for Liverpool.

Klopp’s praise for James McConnell

“James [McConnell] on the six is just a joy to watch – the boy never played the position before we put him there and he throws his heart on the pitch to fill the role. These things are really good,” Klopp said in one his press conferences over the course of pre-season, as per 90min.

Recently, McConnell has been regularly featuring for the club’s U21 side, and even captaining the young Reds in the EFL Trophy.

Meanwhile, during the month of December it has gone under the radar that Klopp selected him in the first team squad for seven matches in a row.

Starting with Union SG on the 14th December, McConnell has been included on the bench once in the EFL Trophy and five times in the Premier League. Meaning, that when he was named in the squad against Newcastle it was his seventh involvement in a row with Liverpool’s first team.

Out of those seven involvements, McConnell has only made it to the pitch once. However, that could change in January with Wataru Endo’s departure to the Asian Cup.

Regardless, it’s an impressive achievement by the Liverpool youngster. Making it to Klopp’s first team requires serious talent and his recent involvement is undoubtedly a sign that he is on the right track.