Liverpool's five hottest prospects ready to burst onto the scene in League Cup quarter-final - including a fearless schemer and the striker turning up the heat on Darwin Nunez
- Our expert runs the rule over the Anfield wonderkids, including a midfielder who is modelling his game on Xabi Alonso and Steven Gerrard
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Arne Slot is set to ring the changes for Liverpool’s Carabao Cup quarter-final at managerless Southampton on Wednesday night, with a mounting injury crisis meaning the holders are likely to field a raft of youngsters.
Slot will be watching from the stands due to a touchline ban - he picked up his third yellow card of the season in Saturday’s draw with Fulham - and his long-serving assistant Sipke Hulshoff will help from the dugout alongside coach Johnny Heitinga, the former Everton defender.
Liverpool won this trophy last season despite fielding a makeshift team of fringe stars and teenagers, dubbed ‘the Kindergarten Kop’.
Mail Sport’s man on Merseyside is a regular at academy games and, here, gives you the lowdown on the fresh faces ready to play...
TREY NYONI, 17, MIDFIELDER
Often the captain for Liverpool’s Under 19s in the UEFA Youth League this season, Nyoni plays with a maturity beyond his years and is one of the hottest prospects in the academy. He excels in a number of roles but is probably best dictating play from midfield.
He is small in stature yet has an excellent footballing IQ that helps him wriggle out of trouble and he always looks to advance play with punched passes through the lines. An England youth international, Nyoni is a vocal figure on the pitch.
Arne Slot, who has made a superb start to life at Liverpool, will be watching on from the sidelines on Wednesday night after picking up his third yellow card of the campaign
Liverpool won the League Cup last season after selecting a makeshift team of fringe stars
Trey Nyoni plays with a maturity beyond his years and is one of Liverpool's hottest prospects
Speaking in Philadelphia after Nyoni shone in pre-season, midfielder Harvey Elliott said: ‘Trey has got everything. He is fearless for such a young age. He just needs to keep going in the right way, keep trusting the process and his time will come.’
AMARA NALLO, 18, CENTRAL DEFENDER
Like Nyoni, Nallo is one of Liverpool’s gems poached from another English academy. Since Brexit, the Reds have been forced to shop closer to home and this pair arrived from Leicester and West Ham respectively in 2023.
Last summer saw the club tempt Rio Ngumoha - described as ‘the best kid in his age group’ - from Chelsea, though this match may come too soon for the 16-year-old as Liverpool do not want to rush his development.
Enfield-born Nallo is a superb athlete – he is big and strong, and this season his recovery pace and general positioning have been astute. He is a modern-day defender who is good on the ball but also has some old-school attributes, and is not afraid of a challenge.
JAMES NORRIS, 21, LEFT BACK
Another with a path to the first team at St Mary’s because Andy Robertson is suspended after his red card against Fulham, while Kostas Tsimikas only returned to training this week after an ankle injury and surely will not be fit enough to play a full match.
Norris made his first-team debut as a 17-year-old in 2019 - also in the League Cup - and, after spending last year on loan at local club Tranmere Rovers, could be poised for his second bite at the cherry here.
JAYDEN DANNS, 18, STRIKER
Probably the best-known of the Kop Kids who burst into the spotlight last season, Danns’ season has been hampered so far by a back injury, but he is fit and firing now. The son of former Crystal Palace star Neil Danns has been prolific at youth level.
A lanky striker who puts himself around, 18-year-old Danns scored a brace off the bench against Southampton in the FA Cup last season. And noting the problems of the misfiring No 9 Darwin Nunez, who has just three goals this season, and the injury-prone Diogo Jota, this lad could be on for more game time soon.
Promising central defender Amara Nallo is a superb athlete – big and strong but, when watching him this season, his recovery pace and general positioning has looked astute
James Norris actually made his senior debut as a 17-year-old in 2019 – also in the League Cup
Jayden Danns (left) has had his season hampered by injury so far, while Tyler Morton (right) has attracted interest from Xabi Alonso and Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen
TYLER MORTON, 22, MIDFIELDER
German champions Bayer Leverkusen put an enticing loan offer on the table for Morton in the summer but Liverpool insisted they would only accept a permanent deal, and he ended up staying.
After spending last season on loan at Hull City, Morton has barely featured in this campaign, but that could be about to change.
In an interview with Mail Sport while on loan at the Tigers, Morton said he idolises two former Liverpool midfielders, Xabi Alonso (now Leverkusen manager) and Steven Gerrard. He has made 11 appearances for the first team. All but two have been in cup competitions.
PS... this match will probably see rare starts for the Wataru Endo, Jarell Quansah and Elliott, who has been injured. Federico Chiesa, who has played a grand total of 78 minutes across three appearances since joining from Juventus, will get some game time. Jota will not start but Caoimhin Kelleher will, after his recent heroics deputising for Alisson.
