By Jack Lusby, ThisIsAnfield.com
Trey Nyoni, the prodigious 17-year-old midfielder signed from Leicester in 2023 earlier than capturing up the ranks, made his first begin whereas one other current addition, 16-year-old former Chelsea winger Rio Ngumoha, made the bench for the primary time.
There was a return to first-team motion for Jayden Danns and James McConnell, each introduced on from the bench, whereas regulars Caoimhin Kelleher and Jarell Quansah made their newest outings as staples of Arne Slot’s squad.
Whereas the likes of Nyoni, Danns and, regardless of going unused, Ngumoha drew the eye as widespread names amongst these with a eager eye on Liverpool’s academy, one other homegrown expertise went about his night time with little fuss.
That participant was Tyler Morton, the 22-year-old from Wallasey, a city over the River Mersey within the Wirral – principally, as near Liverpool as you may get with out being from Liverpool.
A part of the Reds’ academy setup for the reason that age of seven, Morton has been concerned with the primary workforce for over three years, making his senior debut within the Carabao Cup victory over Norwich again in September 2021.
Mortgage spells with Blackburn and Hull within the final two seasons have established his standing as a participant able to performing week in, week out at a excessive degree, solely enhanced by his expertise coaching with most of the world’s finest gamers at Liverpool.
However whereas thought of a full-time member of Slot’s first-team squad, there stays a way that Morton’s long-term future is not going to be at Anfield.
That was solely underlined on Wednesday night time, because the combative midfielder produced an excellent show that noticed him begin as a deep-lying midfielder earlier than shifting to an unnatural position of right-back upon Trent Alexander-Arnold‘s withdrawal at half-time.
Morton served as a composed outlet in possession, crisp in his passing with greater than a touch of former teammate Thiago‘s affect exhibiting, whereas reacting strongly to the bodily battle as he used his physique properly regardless of its nimble body.
Actually, such a show ought to warrant him extra alternatives within the coming weeks and months – if it weren’t for the calibre on gamers forward of him.
Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones had been all given the night time off in midweek, whereas Alexis Mac Allister nearly actually would have been joined them had the Argentine not simply come again from an enforced two-week break resulting from suspension.
Add Harvey Elliott and Wataru Endo – match-winner and arguably Man of the Match at St Mary’s respectively – into the combo and Slot has six top-level choices for 3 roles in his midfield; a minimum of two, in Gravenberch and Mac Allister, who may be appreciable undroppable.
“The factor for them is it’s not about simply taking part in at this degree, you must compete with Mo and Virgil and all these sorts of gamers,” Slot instructed journalists after the sport when requested concerning the enter of his academy gamers towards Southampton.
“It’s not sufficient to be ok to play at this degree, you must be ok to play for Liverpool, and that’s in all probability the subsequent step they should make.
“However they’ve proven right now that these gamers are able to taking part in at Premier League degree, that’s for positive.”
Whereas for the likes of Nyoni and Danns, nonetheless solely 17 and 18 respectively, that will have served as encouragement for the longer term, for Morton, who turned 22 in October and is subsequently registered as a senior participant in each league and Champions League, it might have been a reminder of a tricky choice forward.
It seems as if the participant himself was set to make that call months in the past, with Morton attracting curiosity from RB Leipzig, Feyenoord, Atalanta, Eintracht Frankfurt, Sevilla, Ipswich, Bournemouth and Southampton.
Essentially the most critical possibility was Xabi Alonso‘s Bayer Leverkusen, with a suggestion to take the midfielder on mortgage for the 2024/25 – however that was rejected, with Liverpool seemingly solely prepared to think about everlasting bids within the area of £20 million.
Whereas turning down that provide might have indicated the membership’s religion in Morton, that they had been open to approaches within the first place highlights the place he stands within the pecking order.
Slot is correct that Morton has proved he can comfortably play at Premier League degree – you solely must have watched him cleverly protect the ball out of hazard and shimmy into promising positions at St Mary’s on Wednesday night time to understand that.
However that he has nonetheless performed greater than twice the quantity of minutes for Liverpool’s U21s (348) than he has the primary workforce (162) this season exhibits he’s unlikely to take action by staying at Anfield.
There can be no disgrace in leaving, both – former teammates Harry Wilson and Neco Williams, now of Fulham and Nottingham Forest respectively, can attest to that.
A transfer to an upwardly cell membership equivalent to Bournemouth or a horizon-broadening switch to Germany, Spain, Italy or the Netherlands must be the right step for a participant of Morton’s confirmed high quality and huge potential.
The one pity is that the best alternative hasn’t landed for him at his boyhood membership.
(Photographs from IMAGO)
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