Against bad luck, good heart. Buried by an avalanche of packages (Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Thiago Alcantara, Jota, Salah, Nunez, etc.), Jürgen Klopp did not hesitate, in recent weeks, to draw from the young shoots of the Liverpool academy. From Lewis Koumas to Ben Doak via Kaide Gordon, Bobby Clark, James McConnell, Stefan Bajectic and Trey Nyoni, the German technician did not feel sorry for himself. Quite the contrary. “Yes, we had to adapt, but frankly, it was more fun than problematic”, had also assured the former coach of Borussia Dortmund a few moments before the League Cup final won, Sunday evening, 1-0 in extra time, against Chelsea. Supported by his “kids”, as he calls them, the 56-year-old manager – who has already announced his departure at the end of the season – can now rely on an impressive reservoir. “In extra time, it was Klopp’s kids against the billion-pound blue ‘bottle jobs’ (English expression designating teams that constantly collapse under pressure, editor’s note)had, for his part, tackled Gary Neville, ex-Manchester United star, in reference to the amount invested in transfers by Chelsea since 2022.
A Premier League debut, a trophy and a double…
Symbol of these adolescents in the spring of their lives, Jayden Danns (18 years old) also illustrates the wind of freshness currently blowing across England. A Liverpool-trained striker, the 6ft 1in right-hander also went from obscurity to stardom in record time. In one week, the man who joined the banks of the Mersey in July 2022 made his debut with the first team on February 21, won the League Cup against the Blues on Sunday and scored his first two goals on Wednesday. evening, against Southampton. An express rise then pushing his coach to compare him to a certain Luke Littler, who reached the final of the world darts championship at the age of 16. “I totally understand the excitement, but it’s a bit like the new sensation of darts, it’s good for tonight but from tomorrow onwards, leave the boys to their corner please. And don’t ask: where are they now? Where are they now? Where are they now? tempered, in this regard, Jürgen Klopp. Not inclined to get excited about his new nugget, the German technician who passed through Mainz does not, in fact, want to miss the stages for his young cracks. And for good reason… Eight days earlier, Danns was not even the most famous footballer in his own family…
Playing until now in the jersey of Liverpool’s youth teams, the English international hopeful (6 caps), son of Neil Danns, is only at the beginning of his story. Author of 16 goals and 4 assists in 17 matches in all competitions spent with the U18/U21 since the start of the season, the number 76 of the Reds has seen his efforts rewarded. Called up several times to the professional group, in particular to compensate for the numerous physical problems in the first team, Danns finally made his debut in the Premier League on February 21. Succeeding Luis Díaz for the final moments of the match against Luton (4-1), one of the many Liverpool kids was able to take advantage of the historic atmosphere reigning at Anfield. Once again called by his coach, last Sunday, against Chelsea, he did not wait long before confirming this first flight. Sent to the forefront of the attack, at the age of 18, Danns did not let himself be intimidated by the 90,000 seats at Wembley, a true temple of English football in north London. “He could have scored twice today in the League Cup final, it’s completely crazy”, Klopp joked in this regard post-match. A disconcerting maturity, news, confirmed, Wednesday evening against Southampton in the 5th round of the FA Cup.
What about the future?
Launched shortly after the hour mark in place of Lewis Koumas, another Reds prodigy who opened the scoring, Danns offered himself the luxury of a double against the Kop (73rd, 88th) to validate his team’s qualification in the quarter-final of the FA Cup where they will cross paths with their great rival Manchester United. “It’s a dream come true. I have been a supporter of the club since I was born. It’s amazing to come on and score in the Kop End, but I don’t feel like it’s true. I feel like I’m in a movie. The second goal was pure joy, I didn’t feel like it could come to me, I was happy with just one goal.recognized the person concerned at the final whistle. “They are exceptional talents, but it is not natural for an 18-year-old to be so calm and just put the ball in the back of the net. On the second goal, I expected him to be there because he saw that the goalkeeper couldn’t take the ball when Conor struck. He really manages to make a difference in these moments. It’s proof that he has flair.”, rejoiced Klopp for his part. One thing is certain, the man who had never trained with the Liverpool first team before January 26 continues to amaze everyone. He has a goalscoring instinct, I have no doubt about it, added the Reds technician before sending a message to his management for the future…
“We have said many times that the future doesn’t look too bad, but I hope people don’t forget that when the transfer window opens. We already have some very promising players, so let’s not close the door on them with 12 recruitments., notably advised the German manager who is preparing to leave the Reds. With an efficient player in front of goal, comfortable in small spaces, intelligent in his movements and who seems endowed with a certain magnetism constantly bringing the ball to his feet, Liverpool can legitimately bet on a bright future. It now remains to be seen how Jürgen Klopp, then his successor, will use Jayden Danns when Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez and others return to form. Will he be sent directly to the young people? Will he have this ability to confirm at the highest level and thus play the roles of super-subs? If these questions are also valid for Koumas, Doak, Gordon, Clark, McConnell, Bajectic or even Nyoni, the Reds center forward is enjoying, for the moment, his dream destiny, what’s more in a season where Klopp will have need all their strength to continue their final quest for a quadruple, with the Premier League and Europa League in their sights, by May. Next opportunity to stay at the top of the bill for Jayden Danns? From Saturday, on the lawn of Nottingham Forest, on the occasion of the 27th day of the Premier League.
