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We may only be a month into the new season, but it’s already clear that Jurgen Klopp left Liverpool in rude health. New head coach Arne Slot has certainly made some noticeable tactical tweaks to the team, which have been integral to the Reds making a perfect start to their Premier League campaign, but there have been no significant changes in personnel – as of yet – and the Dutchman has been quick to acknowledge that he is working with a wonderful group of players put together by his predecessor.
Of course, one of the keys to Klopp’s sustained success at Liverpool was his willingness to put his faith in young players. In total, 40 academy players made their debuts during the the German’s remarkable nine-year spell at Anfield, with Trent Alexander-Arnold unquestionably the pick of the bunch, and there is a feeling on Merseyside that one of his final acts as manager might just turn out to be one of his most significant.
He arguably knew it at the time, too, because Klopp was positively beaming when he introduced Trey Nyoni to Anfield just three months before he bid farewell to the club…
Where it all began
Born in Leicester to Zimbabwean parents, Nyoni quickly emerged as a player of enormous potential at his hometown club. “I was asked to work with the Under-13s and Under-12s, to give the coaches an idea of what the next PDP (Player Development Plan) would look like, so I worked with Trey’s manager at the time, Stuart McClarty,” former Foxes academy coach Guy Branston told LeicestershireLive. “Trey was already playing [above his age group] and being highlighted as a serious player.”
Hardly surprising, then, that Nyoni began to attract the attention of the Premier League’s biggest clubs as he progressed rapidly through the youth-team ranks at Leicester. It was Liverpool who eventually won the race for one of the most coveted under-age players in English football, signing the boyhood fan of the club in September 2023 when Nyoni was still only 16 years of age.
Leicester fought hard to hold onto their academy product and it has been left to a tribunal to determine the size of the transfer fee – but it was immediately obvious that the Reds had landed “an uber-talented player”, as McClarty put it.
Indeed, in his very first ‘mini Merseyside derby’ against Everton’s Under-18s, Nyoni scored a last-gasp winner for Liverpool – the second of three goals in as many games – before being promptly promoted to the Under-21s.
The big break
After being invited to train with the senior squad by Klopp, Nyoni was named on the bench for Liverpool’s Premier League clash with Brentford on November 12, 2023. He then made the matchday squad again when an injury-ravaged Liverpool hosted Luton on February 21, and was also on the bench as Jurgen Klopp’s ‘kids’ won the Carabao Cup at Wembley four days later.
His first taste of professional football finally arrived at Anfield on February 28, at the end of what Klopp called “the week of the academy”. With 12 minutes remaining in the FA Cup clash with Southampton, a smiling Klopp put his arm around Nyoni and sent the teenager on in place of Harvey Elliott to become the youngest player ever to represent Liverpool in the competition.
Fellow academy graduates Lewis Koumas and Jayden Danns dominated the headlines after accounting for all three of the home side’s goals on the night, while Bobby Clark and James McConell also drew plaudits for their performances.
However, during his post-match interview on ITV, Klopp pointed out, “We should not forget that Trey came on as well – what a player he is! Oh my God!”
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GettyHow it’s going
A number of players impressed during Liverpool’s pre-season program, chief among them Harvey Elliott, while Mohamed Salah also looked back to his brilliant best. However, Nyoni also stood out, making a very positive first impression on Slot in Liverpool’s first proper friendly – a 1-0 win over Real Betis in Pittsburgh.
“He was only on for an hour but I think he did really well today,” the former Feyenoord boss told reporters. “He was one of the reasons why we scored the goal, because he turned really quickly and [played] a spot-on pass in between the lines. And he was also involved in the biggest chance in the second half.”
Even better was to come against another Spanish side, with Nyoni scoring a wonderful half-volley just a couple of minutes after coming on in the 4-1 rout of Sevilla the weekend before Liverpool’s Premier League opener, and impressing all and sundry with just how comfortable he looked playing in front of the Kop.
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Biggest strengths
Shortly after scoring the only goal of the game against Betis in pre-season, Dominik Szoboszlai turned to team-mate Jarell Quansah, who was sitting on the bench alongside the Hungarian, and pointed out that it was impossible for opponents to take the ball of Nyoni “because of his movements” – and it was a fair point.
Nyoni may not be physically imposing, but his excellent technique makes him wonderfully elusive. As a former winger converted into an attacking midfielder, the two-footed teenager with a real eye for a goal boasts tremendously quick feet, while he’s also outrageously composed in possession.
As Elliott has previously stated, “Trey is fearless. He has got absolutely everything and he just needs to keep going in the right way, trusting the process, and I’m sure his time will come.”
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Getty Images SportRoom for improvement
Nyoni obviously still has a lot to learn about the game, particularly at the very highest level. But the talent is there, and he’s clearly got the ability to become a Premier League player. The key, though, will be giving him sufficient time to develop physically, because, as Slot has been at pains to point out, Nyoni is still not quite ready for the rigours of top-flight football.
“He’s just turned 17 and his body has to grow, so we are really careful with him,” the Liverpool coach explained. “He doesn’t join every session and sometimes he goes out a bit earlier because he’s so young. You can see his quality but you can also see his body still needs some time to grow to play at Premier League level.”
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GettyThe next… Paul Pogba?
Nyoni is a tall, slender, skillful and intelligent midfielder who has this fantastic ability to glide past defenders. He’s also a very modern midfielder, in the sense that he’s capable of playing as a 10, eight or six.
Consequently, some Liverpool fans have compared Nyoni to a young Paul Pogba, who played the game with a similar confidence and composure during his early years at both Manchester United and Juventus. Nyoni also shares some traits with Kobbie Mainoo, Old Trafford’s current teenage sensation, even if he is a far more offensively-minded midfielder.
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AFPWhat comes next?
Nyoni will continue to line up for Liverpool’s U21s in Premier League 2, while also representing England’s U18s, for whom he scored twice during the international break.
He will, of course, be targeting more minutes at senior level this season and it would not be a surprise to see him involved in the Carabao Cup clash with West Ham on September 25, given Slot will be keen to rotate his regulars during what will be a hectic period for his side.
It remains to be seen whether Nyoni will get to make his Premier League bow this season, but it will happen sooner rather than later. Klopp may have left Liverpool but, based on what we saw during pre-season, the future looks just as bright for Nyoni at Anfield under Slot.
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