The last week or so has been really exciting for Liverpool. We’ve seen a young team beat Chelsea in the Carabao Cup, two teenagers score their first goals for Liverpool in the FA Cup, and Darwin Nunez net let against Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup.
Undoubtedly, in the title race, the latter is the most important moment for Liverpool’s season. However, taking a look at the future of the club, the midweek game against Southampton where Lewis Koumas and Jayden Danns scored their first goals for Liverpool could be as equally significant.
Koumas and Danns are both highly regarded in Liverpool’s academy. They have made really impressive strides. But it’s one thing doing that at academy level and another doing it in senior football. The fact that they both scored means they’ve overcome an important step in their careers. Getting that first goal is a huge hurdle in senior football. So doing it so early into their Liverpool careers is great.
However, it does not mean that they’ve surpassed the achievement of their fathers, as Glenn Murray seems to have suggested recently.
Glenn Murray on Lewis Koumas and Jayden Danns
Speaking on the BBC’s Final Score programme, former Brighton forward, Glenn Murray seems to have suggested that Koumas and Danns have both now surpassed their fathers.
“Do you know what? For the two Liverpool lads, they’ve probably, and I don’t want to sound disrespectful to their dads. They’ve probably surpassed their fathers already, which is a really good thing. A positive thing. Because it must be difficult for a young man to live in his dad’s shadow.”
Now we get what Murray is trying to say here. Danns and Koumas both have huge potential. And scoring for Liverpool’s first team is a huge achievement. However, it is a bit disrespectful to say they’ve surpassed their fathers already. In fact it’s absolutely wrong.
Jason Koumas played in the Premier League for years and represented Wales at international level. He was part of a brilliant team at Tranmere who reached the League Cup final and was voted in the PFA Team of the Year in the Championship twice.
Neil Danns on the other hand had a career that spanned almost 20 years as a player in the game. He played in the Premier League as well, and represented clubs like Crystal Palace, Blackburn Rovers and Birmingham City. He also captained Guayana at international level and led them to the Gold Cup scoring three goals in three games at the 2019 tournament.
These are really impressive careers that should not be scoffed at. Jayden and Lewis may end-up surpassing their fathers’ achievements in the future. But they have a long way to go until then. Let’s not put too much pressure on them too early on.
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