Trey Nyoni was an unused substitute in EFL Cup final win over Chelsea this year
Slot's side continue to fight on all fronts as fixture schedule continues to fill up
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By SAM LAWLEY
Published: 12:09 EST, 18 December 2024 | Updated: 12:09 EST, 18 December 2024
Liverpool startlet Trey Nyoni, 17, is reportedly set to make his full debut for the Reds in their EFL Cup encounter against Southampton as Arne Slot turns to youth for the quarter-final clash.
The Anfield side are flying high on all fronts, leading the Premier League with a game in hand, while surging to the top of the Champions League league stage thanks to six wins out of six.
And, despite falling to a 2-2 draw at home to Fulham on Saturday, Liverpool showed they are not struggling under the weight of a packed schedule, twice coming from behind with 10 men including in the 86th minute.
As they race into the busy Christmas period, Slot will be aware that he will have to shuffle the pack to keep his stars fit, particularly in competitions such as the EFL Cup.
Indeed, his predecessor Jurgen Klopp did exactly that in last year's final, finishing the match with a team that had an average age of just 24 years and 172 days.
Now Slot looks set to follow in the footsteps of the German and make similar selection choices for tonight's quarter final at Southampton, The Times reports.
Trey Nyoni is reportedly likely to make his full debut in an EFL clash against Southampton
Arne Slot, who has made a remarkable start as manager, has vowed to keep developing him
Liverpool are on fine form and grabbed a point against Fulham thanks to a Diogo Jota goal
Talented midfielder Nyoni, then 16, was an unused substitute for February's match, which saw Liverpool come out on top in a penalty shoot-out, but is a likely starter in the game at St Mary's.
Slot said earlier this campaign: 'We are taking good care of him and we are aware of him. He only just became 17 and that's probably also the reason why people see him as such a talent, because he has already shown some interesting things at his age.
'I think what you say is true, he is a young player — really young, but with a lot of talent. He had some impact in pre-season and when he played against Seville he even scored a goal.
'So, a talent but only being a talent is not enough to play on a regular basis for the first team, so we need to keep developing him. He needs playing time to develop and that's why sometimes as a manager you feel like, "We might need him with the first team, but it's so, so important for him to keep playing his games."
'Training with the likes of all the midfielders and players we have helps him to develop as well.'
The team of young guns who turned out against Mauricio Pochettino's Blues have had mixed fortunes in the 10 months that have followed, with only Jarrell Quansah expected to start against Southampton.
Jayden Danns and James McConnell have returned to the fray after injuries while highly-rated Connor Bradley is currently watching on from the sidelines with a knock of his own.
Lewis Koumas is on loan at Stoke City while Bobby Clark has transferred to Red Bull Salzburg.
Jurgen Klopp turned to youth for the EFL Cup final against Chelsea in February
The likes of Harvey Elliott are also expected to step in for the quarter-final clash on Wednesday
Nyoni moved from Leicester City in September last year and has already turned heads at Liverpool for his ability to carry the ball.
He made a substitute appearance in an FA Cup clash with Southampton shortly after the EFL Cup final and also came on in the last round of this year's tournament against Brighton.
Slot faces a series of selection headaches ahead of tonight's match, with just four first-team defenders available for the fixture after Andy Robertson's red card against Fulham on the weekend.
Wataru Endo, Tyler Morton and Harvey Elliott are all expected to be in the starting lineup while the likes of left back James Norris, 21, and centre back Amara Nallo, 18, could be in line for rare appearances.
Liverpool then travel to Totteham in the Premier League on Sunday before hosting Leicester on Boxing Day.