'A fair chance': Liverpool youngster likely to be promoted from U21s to play against West Ham - Arne Slot
Today at 05:30 AM
Liverpool are set to make a number of changes as they face West Ham in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.
The Reds have so far kept a very settled team throughout their opening six fixtures of the season.
However, with two more games to come this week, Arne Slot has little choice but to rotate as West Ham come to Anfield.
Slot has confirmed that Federico Chiesa is ready to start and it looks likely that the Italian will be one of those on the teamsheet for the first time this season.
The Liverpool head coach has also said that with Alisson Becker still injured, Caoimhin Kelleher is certain to play against West Ham.
And as well as Chiesa and Kelleher, Slot name-checked one more player in regards to some playing time on Wednesday. One youngster from the Liverpool academy could be in for a big evening.
Trey Nyoni set for Liverpool call-up
The Carabao Cup has provided Liverpool youngsters with a way into the first-team for decades now.
Slot only has to look seven months into the past to see how the competition can help academy players to make the breakthrough into the first-team.
One player who was on the bench as Liverpool triumphed against Chelsea at Wembley was Trey Nyoni.
Although the 17-year-old did not make it onto the pitch that day, he still picked up a winner’s medal for being part of the squad.
READ MORE: Liverpool’s predicted XI against West Ham as Arne Slot makes nine changes
Since then, Nyoni has impressed Slot in pre-season and gone from strength to strength. While others were loaned out or sold this summer, it was notable that Nyoni remained.
And speaking in his pre-West Ham press conference on Tuesday, Slot said that there is ‘a fair chance’ that the midfielder will be in the squad to face the Hammers.
“Let’s see first how everyone comes in this morning and then we’ll make a plan for every individual,” said the boss when asked about the chance of Nyoni’s inclusion.
“They way I look at it now there will be a fair chance for him to be in our squad rather than the U21s.”
Could Trey Nyoni start for Liverpool?
Although Slot stopped short of saying this, we actually would not be surprised to see Nyoni start against West Ham.
That might seem like a stretch, but with so many games coming in such a short space of time for Liverpool, Slot does need to rotate.
The midfield has barely been touched up to this point, with the same three players starting all six of the matches so far. And with Harvey Elliott out injured, the Reds have even less options.
As a result, it isn’t out of the realms of possibility that Slot goes with a midfield of Wataru Endo, Nyoni and Curtis Jones against West Ham.
That looks a lot weaker than Liverpool’s current first-choice trio, but Nyoni is a real talent. We could be about to see his breakthrough match.
