Liverpool youngster Kieran Morrison was at the double in the under-21s’ 4-2 win over Tottenham Hotspur.
Liverpool under-21s head coach Rob Page lavished praise on Kieran Morrison after continuing his prolific form.
The young Reds earned a 4-2 victory over Tottenham Hotspur at the AXA Training Centre. Morrison, continuing to wear the captain’s armband with Amara Nallo suspended, delivered another talismanic performance. The versatile forward was at the double, with Prince Cisse and Will Wright also on target.
Morrison has fired 10 goals in his past six games for the under-21s, while he was on the bench for Liverpool’s Premier League victories over Sunderland and Nottingham Forest last month.
The 19-year-old has relished the responsibility of being skipper, according to Page. Via RedMen TV, Page said: “You see him work hard in training. Giving him the armband has given him another lift as well. We’ve given him that responsibility, and he’s absolutely shining with it. The right foot goal for me was exceptional. He’s so quick off the first two yards, and the power he gets, that’s his wrong foot. It’s not his preferred foot. But he practices in training, so it’s no surprise that when he produces moments like that, because he works so hard through the week.”
On the biggest improvement, Page replied: “Maturity. I saw from day one he had the ability, but there were certain things he was doing in and around, not just on the field, but off the field. So, I’ve absolutely drilled that into him. And he’s taken it on board. He can’t be the class clown anymore. Giving him the armband as well has made him step up to lead by example, and he’s doing that and some. I’m so proud of him.”
“Kieran’s all about it. He wants to please people. He really wants to please people, and it’s a great trait to have. So, it’s nice for us to be able to give him those moments. And some players can’t handle the pressure. Some people rise to the occasion, and he’s absolutely done that.”
Morrison may have been hoping to have been involved in Arne Slot’s set-up for Liverpool’s 5-2 win over West Ham United, with fellow teenagers Rio Ngumoha and Trey Nyoni making substitute cameos.
Yet the Northern Ireland under-21s international had no issues with his omission for Slot’s squad. Page added: “He drives that himself (wanting to be the best player). I thought if I needed to tell him that because he was showing signs of being complacent, we would. Me and Jay (Spearing) would absolutely nail him on it straight away, but there’s no need. And Trey, and Rio when they come down, there’s no complacency, there’s no air of arrogance where they go: ‘Now I’m a first team player’ – there’s none of that whatsoever.
“So that speaks volumes about the academy that we’ve got here and how we’ve kept the players grounded, and they appreciate that when they come down, the first message I say to them is we’re in good form and were having to leave two players out of the team to give Trey and Rio minutes. So I said: ‘Respect the fact that you’re taking the players to people that are in good form at the minute’ and they have done absolutely. They have given top performances because of that.”
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