Promising Zimbabwean prospect Trey Nyoni has received widespread praise for his performance in Liverpool’s 1-0 pre-season victory over Real Betis on Saturday.
Nyoni, who made his debut for Liverpool last season aged 16 years, was introduced as a first-half substitute, replacing the injured Curtis Jones. Despite his young age, the midfielder’s display caught the eye of observers.
Sky Sports News reporter Anton Toloui was particularly impressed with Nyoni’s performance, suggesting that the young player could be a future star in the making. He wrote:
I do have one question after the game though. Did we see the emergence of a future Liverpool star?
Trey Nyoni only turned 17 on June 30 but when he was picked ahead of Stefan Bajcetic and Tyler Morton to replace the injured Curtis Jones in a deep midfield role he shone brightly.
The No 98 was involved in the build-up for Szoboszlai’s goal and also helped create his side’s best chance of the second half.
Comfortable on the ball, unafraid to put his boot in and elegant to watch, Nyoni got more time on the pitch than any of his teammates.
It’s clear Arne Slot is the kind of coach that can’t stand talking about individual players but even he couldn’t help but mention the teenager born in 2007.
Speaking after the match, Liverpool’s new coach Arne Slot acknowledged Nyoni’s impressive display, but tempered expectations, saying the 17-year-old still requires time to develop before being ready for the demands of the English Premier League. He said:
That was the positive thing about Curtis going out for Trey, but of course, for Curtis, it’s a pity that he couldn’t play on.
Trey did well, he was involved in the goal with a spot-on pass between the lines and he was involved in our biggest chance in the second half.
But he’s only just turned 17 and his body still has to grow. We are really careful with him. He doesn’t join every session.
You can see his quality. He needs some time to grow to play at Premier League level but he’s an interesting player.
More: Pindula News