‘Magic’ Liverpool youngster could make senior Reds debut tonight after Arne Slot’s show of faith
Liverpool could have a potential debutant in tonight’s Premier League fixture against Brentford.
Arne Slot has made three changes to the starting XI from the midweek win over Eintracht Frankfurt, with Mo Salah, Conor Bradley and Milos Kerkez all coming back into the side after being named on the bench in Germany.
There are some familiar names among the Reds’ substitutes at the Gtech Community Stadium, including Joe Gomez, Andy Robertson, Alexis Mac Allister and Federico Chiesa, but there’s one youngster who’s included in a top-flight matchday squad for the first time.
Kieran Morrison included among Liverpool subs
The Liverpool starting XI and substitutes were confirmed 75 minutes before kick-off (via @LFC on X), and among the nine men on the bench is Kieran Morrison.
The 18-year-old is rewarded for his show-stopping performance in the Reds’ under-19’s UEFA Youth League victory against their Eintracht counterparts on Wednesday, in which he registered a hat-trick of assists in a pulsating 5-4 thriller.
The first of those – a majestic through ball to set up Trent Kone-Doherty for a 17th-minute equaliser – was described by independent LFC academy reporter Lewis Bower on X as a ‘moment of magic’.
Morrison gets deserved reward for sublime midweek performance
Morrison was simply sensational in midweek, and with several first-team regulars such as Alexander Isak and Ryan Gravenberch ruled out injured, he’s fully merited his call-up to the matchday squad tonight.
It’s just the third time that the teenager is named on the bench for a senior competitive fixture, following on from the inconsequential Champions League defeat to PSV Eindhoven last season and the Carabao Cup win over Southampton a month ago (Transfermarkt).
Admittedly it’s unlikely that, given Liverpool’s non-negotiable need for three points against Brentford, he’ll be thrown into the fray, barring the improbable event of the Reds having a resounding winning margin in the final few minutes.
However, Morrison’s inclusion tonight shows that Slot has been paying attention to his performances at underage level, and it’s not unthinkable that he could feature in the Carabao Cup tie at home to Crystal Palace next Wednesday.
It’s another feather in the teenager’s cap that he’s on the bench at the Gtech Community Stadium, and we’re hugely excited to see how he develop as the season goes on!
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