The international break is a time to relax for some managers. It’s an opportunity to escape into the sunshine of holiday destinations too expensive to even dare think about. Or, as has been the case for others, it’s a chance for managers to collect things from their office with their P45 in hand. For Andoni Iraola, however, it’s the chance to do what he does better than most.
While his first-team stars travel to join up with their national sides, the Spaniard once again has the opportunity to take a closer look at his young Liverpool stars.
Arne Slot’s decision to choose the getaway rather than the academy work during the international break was often used as a stick to beat him with. Iraola has since flipped that script and unearthed plenty of gems in the process.
How Liverpool are getting the best out of young stars under Iraola
It was during the first international break of the season when it became apparent that Iraola is invested in supporting Liverpool’s famous Kirkby academy.
The new manager wasted no time, calling up a number of the U21s to first-team training for intense sessions as he looked to take a closer look at the talent at his disposal.
So far this season, there has been a clear pathway for several young stars which wasn’t there under Slot. Lewis Koumas is the best example of that. His Anfield career looked unlikely to ever truly feature a first-team spell after a promising, but slightly uneventful loan spell at Stoke City last season.
Iraola didn’t focus on last season, however. He saw a young player who is among the hardest workers at the club and someone who presses better than most. That was always likely to be an important trait for the manager.
Trey Nyoni is another fine example. The teenager played just 21 minutes in the Premier League in the entirety of last season. One year later, under a new manager, he’s quickly becoming a key man at the heart of midfield and has started three of the last four games in all competitions.
Why Nyoni has become undroppable at Liverpool
For all the money they’ve spent in the last two summers, it is a young player from Leicester City who looks destined to restore the balance in Liverpool’s side. At just 19 years old, Nyoni is among the best line-breaking passers in the Premier League and controls games in a way that is far beyond his years.
Slot had the answer to his midfield problems all along; he just didn’t use it. Iraola has not made the same mistake. He trusted Nyoni to start against Arsenal earlier this season and whilst Liverpool ended the day on the losing side, the midfielder’s quality against world-class opposition was clear for all to see.
No one enjoyed better pass accuracy, attempted more passes, covered more distance or made more ball recoveries than the teenager against the Premier League champions that day.
Nyoni is the real deal, but Liverpool aren’t done there. They’ve got another talented midfielder waiting for his chance under Iraola.
Liverpool have bigger talent than Nyoni waiting to be unleashed
Liverpool’s influx of young talent comes at the perfect time under the most perfect manager. First it was Nyoni, Koumas and Rio Ngumoha who benefitted. Next up, it looks destined to be Luca Eden.
At just 15 years old, the Scouse-born teenager became the youngest player to feature in the UEFA Youth League for Liverpool, beating a record previously set by the impressive Josh Abe, Ngumoha and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Already earning comparisons to Steven Gerrard for how he drives from midfield in possession as well as his shooting technique, Eden is a regular for the U19s and has featured for the U18s this season. He’s not just made up the numbers, either.
The 15-year-old has been involved in four goals in four games in the UEFA Youth League. Only one midfielder has more goal contributions than him in the competition. This is a player who’s successfully battling against older opposition and making it look easy.
It wasn’t so long ago that Alexander-Arnold was earning comparisons with Gerrard. It was then that his passing range wowed the Premier League, before he went onto win everything that English and European football has to offer with his boyhood club.
A move to Real Madrid has ended those comparisons since then, but Eden could be about to carry the torch for the first time. It’s well known at this stage that Iraola is not afraid to hand young players an opportunity and a cameo in the first-team could be on the horizon for the impressive teenager.
