'He can do that': Liverpool coach says Reds have a 16-year-old striker who is already a quality goal scorer
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Liverpool have some real quality coming through their youth ranks at the moment.
Some of the Reds’ most legendary players started off in the underage sides, with recent years seeing a plethora of talent pass through to join the first-team.
But while the likes of Jarell Quansah and Conor Bradley continue to cement their places in the Liverpool squad, the next generation are bubbling under.
There is excitement at Liverpool over new recruit Rio Ngumoha, for example, and the 16-year-old has started well on Merseyside.
Ngumoha claimed his first assist for the Liverpool academy with a nice whipped cross which Louis Enahoro-Marcus headed home for against Leeds last Saturday.
But while Ngumoha drew most of the attention, Liverpool 18s coach Marc Bridge-Wilkinson also highlighted the contribution another forward player made against Leeds.
Watch out for Josh Sonni-Lambie
Ngumoha looks like a potential first-teamer playing in the U18s this season, but he is not the only one Liverpool fans should be keeping track of.
While it is never good to place too much pressure on young shoulders, the signs are there that more than one of Bridge-Wilkinson’s team has a long-term future at Anfield.
One sign of that came during Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Leeds, in which 16-year-old Josh Sonni-Lambie scored a delightful equaliser.
With Liverpool 2-1 down heading towards the end of the game, Sonni-Lambie received the ball in the penalty area.
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Despite two defenders being around him, the striker showed good footwork to escape their attention before dinking a beautiful finish over the goalkeeper from a tight angle.
It was the kind of goal which makes people sit up and take notice. And speaking to liverpoolfc.com, Bridge-Wilkinson says that Sonni-Lambie certainly has that kind of finish in his locker.
“It was a lovely finish, a really nice turn in the box under a lot of pressure and a delicate and very precise finish,” raved the coach.
“He's got that in him, he can do that and we know that. What we need Josh to do is score the more simple goals inside the box and closer to goal. But we know what he can do.”
Who else is worth keeping an eye on?
There are never any guarantees where young players are concerned. At the end of the day it is still only a tiny fraction who make it through to the first-team.
Nevertheless, there is still reason to be excited about a handful of players in Bridge-Wilkinson’s young Liverpool team.
Wellity Lucky has been praised for his centre-back partnership with Amara Nallo and the pair look a solid duo.
Elsewhere, right-back DJ Esdaille has started the season well and midfielder Michael Laffey has earned praise, too.
Along with Sonni-Lambie, 16-year-old Prince Cisse, son of Champions League winner Djibril is another to keep a close eye on.
