Jarell Quansah earns seal of approval from captain after impressing in early appearances, while Jurgen Klopp promises to take Europa League seriously despite prospect of giving youngsters more playing time.
Virgil van Dijk is predicting Jarell Quansah will make it to the very top at Liverpool but he is urging the “outstanding” young centre-back to keep working hard. Quansah, 20, made his debut off the bench in the comeback win away to Newcastle United before the international break and was handed his first start in the victory at Wolves last Saturday.
And ahead of the Reds’ Europa League opener against LASK this evening, Van Dijk told TNT Sports he “fully trusts” the Warrington-born defender, who joined Liverpool aged five, to thrive once he continues to learn and develop on the training ground.
“He was outstanding in the circumstances when he came on against Newcastle for his debut,” Van Dijk said. “Making your debut is special, and to make his full debut the other day [against Wolves] was outstanding.
“It’s just the start, and he has to recognise that way as well and keep working because even if it happened the other day, it’s still not guaranteed for what happens next. But he’s a good boy and I fully trust that he will be very important for the football club in the near future.”
However, Van Dijk would like to keep a lid on expectations and added: “If he can achieve what I have achieved, then that would also be a great thing for him.
“But he has plenty of time and I am very pleased and proud of him. It’s a start and he has to keep working and learning, and in the moments he does play, he has to be ready. He’s at a great club with great players, a great manager and a great fanbase, so he has all the foundations to keep going.”