Trent Kone-Doherty’s Liverpool exit in February always looked like a career call more than a club rejection.
The 19-year-old left for Molde after almost four years at the Academy, having made just two senior appearances for the Reds and found himself behind the likes of Rio Ngumoha and Kieran Morrison in the first-team picture.
Liverpool did at least protect themselves with a buy-back clause and sell-on clause, but for Kone-Doherty, progressing his senior career was the priority. Since moving to Norway, he has been eased into senior football with regular minutes for Molde, rather than left waiting for cup cameos.
Who’s Liverpool’s best forward in the Premier League era? Torres vs Firmino
Now, he has opened up on why leaving Anfield had to happen.
Trent Kone-Doherty didn’t see a future at Liverpool under Arne Slot
Kone-Doherty’s senior Liverpool career amounted to just two appearances, one in the FA Cup against Plymouth Argyle and another from the bench against Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup.
For a player at 19, that was not enough. Especially not when others were seemingly moving ahead of him in Arne Slot’s plans.
That is why he had to make a difficult decision, as he revealed in an interview with the Irish Independent.
He explained: “I was ready to start playing senior football, but at that moment I wasn’t getting that at Liverpool. For me, it was about going somewhere where I could get some experience in senior football. I felt like it was the next step for me. Once you get a taste for the first team, it makes you eager for more.
“It wasn’t an easy decision. My whole life was in Liverpool. I had three years there, but I think it was best for my career. I had to make the decision in the end. You just have to be brave sometimes and take control of your career.
“It can be tough to break through, especially when you’re at those top clubs. It takes a lot of patience. Sometimes, you just need to make a decision.”
It is hard to argue with that logic. Liverpool clearly rated Kone-Doherty, but the pathway was becoming crowded and sporadic minutes were never going to accelerate his development.
Molde gives him something Liverpool could not offer immediately, a genuine route into senior football. He has not torn Norway apart yet, but that is not really the point. He is playing, learning and adapting away from the constant noise around Anfield.
Are you open to competitive Liverpool matches being taken abroad?
FSG have explored the idea before… 👀
Kone-Doherty still has ambitions of forcing his way into the Republic of Ireland senior setup, and there is no reason he cannot return to English football later if his development continues.
Maybe, given Liverpool’s buy-back clause, that road could even lead back to Merseyside.
For now, though, this looks like the right call. He needed games, he needed responsibility and he needed to step out of Liverpool’s shadow.
Receive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox
