Arne Slot gave a big number of Liverpool youngsters a run out during Saturday’s pre-season win over Real Betis.
The Reds finally kicked their new season off in Pittsburgh, beating the La Liga side 1-0.
With so many of the Liverpool squad still away on holiday, Slot still managed to cobble together a decent looking starting XI.
It was interesting to see the slight tweaks in the Reds’ formation. Dominik Szoboszlai was pushed higher up the pitch alongside Harvey Elliott up-front and Slot has explained his thinking behind this tactic.
But more than any changes to the style of play, pre-season is often all about the academy players stepping up and showing what they can do. And one in particular stood out above all else against Betis.
Dominik Szoboszlai hails Trey Nyoni
All in all, 13 of the 23 players used by Slot during Saturday’s win were 21 or under. He was not afraid to get the youngsters out there on the pitch.
Some of these are experienced players already, of course. Elliott is still only 21, while the likes of Fabio Carvalho, Conor Bradley and Jarell Quansah have all had significant game time for Liverpool.
Others are much more wet behind the ears, with 17-year-old Trey Nyoni the youngest to make an appearance.
Despite his youthfulness, Nyoni has already made his senior bow for the Reds. The midfielder came on against Southampton in the Carabao Cup at Anfield last season.
Nyoni impressed Klopp during that game and it’s safe to say that he caught the eye against Betis, too.
READ MORE: Liverpool player ratings from Saturday’s 1-0 friendly win over Real Betis
Liverpool fans were blown away by how good Nyoni was in his 40 minutes or so on the pitch.
And as it turns out, Szoboszlai was impressed as well. Speaking to LFCTV after the game, the Hungarian admitted that he likes the look of his young teammate and has even been raving about him to Quansah.
“I like him a lot,” says Szoboszlai when asked about Nyoni’s performance. “He is a really offensive player. I just told to Quansah on the bench that you can’t even foul him because of his movement.
“Everybody could see in the second-half, Nat [Phillips] was at centre-back but otherwise everybody was young, almost none of them were 20. They still did a good job, didn’t concede a goal and had chances. So, yeah, a good future.”
Expectations grow over Trey Nyoni
Nyoni’s display against Betis was the type that can really announce a young player. At just 17, the former Leicester prospect was running the game.
His calmness on the ball is what really sets him apart. As Szoboszlai says, he always seems to be one step ahead of his marker and his vision and weight of pass is excellent, too.
Curtis Jones has explained how he thinks that central midfielders could well be the key to unlocking Slot’s system at Liverpool.
On this – albeit limited – evidence, Nyoni looks like the kind of player who could really thrive within that set-up.
There’s a reason why Liverpool plucked Nyoni from Leicester at barely 16. They clearly thought he could go on to become a first-team player. Keep this up, and that will be happening sooner rather than later.
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