Who is Kieran Morrison? Liverpool talent who trained with Klopp could get Champions League chance
Given its position in the Champions League earned in the opening seven fixtures, Liverpool has been able to leave 12 senior stars at home for its trip to PSV. And that means young talents like Kieran Morrison potentially getting a chance.
Liverpool made some eye-catching transfer decisions with many young players during the summer, with Bobby Clark, as just one example, leaving to join Champions League outfit Red Bull Salzburg. That was a surprise move away given he featured quite a lot last year.
But the conveyor belt of players coming through in Kirkby is unlikely to slow down. Liverpool snapped up talented winger Rio Ngumoha from Chelsea, with sources at the time rubbishing claims that the Reds have broken their youth wage structure to sign him, and highly-rated full-back Alvin Ayman from Wolves.
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Trey Nyoni, who could also play a part against PSV, was arguably the stand-out performer of the young Liverpool players who went on the senior pre-season tour to the USA, but there is another talent in the same age group who is impressing.
Having signed his first professional contract in April of last year, right winger slash attacking midfielder Kieran Morrison has played 19 times at youth level this season, scoring four times and providing five assists. He also represented his country, Northern Ireland, at the U19 European Championship this summer too.
Morrison, who joined Liverpool from Manchester United when he was in the U14 age group, bears a resemblance to Curtis Jones not just in his physical appearance, but also the way that he dribbles with the ball. Though Morrison doesn't have electric pace, his quick, clever footwork often gives him an extra yard of space — and he can finish.
Playing mainly from the right-hand side where the chops inside on his left foot, he scored 11 times in 20 appearances in the U18 Premier League last season for Liverpool. He also trained with the first team during the March international break.
There are similarities between how Jones looked at a similar age when he was a much more forward-thinking and creative player than the one Jurgen Klopp molded at senior level. He has been compared to former Liverpool talent Harry Wilson, who now plays for Fulham, too. Now, he could show that on the biggest possible stage.