Jeremy Jacquet made Jason McAteer eat his words after the Liverpool hero questioned if the 21-year-old had what it takes to succeed in the Premier League before his debut on Sunday
Jeremy Jacquet shined in Liverpool's 2-0 friendly win over Serie A outfit Como
Jeremy Jacquet shined in Liverpool's 2-0 friendly win over Serie A outfit Como(Image: Getty Images)
Jeremy Jacquet wasted no time silencing Jason McAteer’s concerns that he may find it difficult to handle the pressure of representing Liverpool.
On Sunday, Jacquet was handed a starting spot in Liverpool's final warm-up fixture against Serie A outfit Como. The defender had not featured in any of the Reds' friendly matches since arriving in an $81 million transfer from Rennes, having officially joined the squad last month after agreeing to the deal back in February.
Before Jacquet stepped onto the Anfield pitch for the first time, McAteer cast doubt on whether he possessed the qualities needed to thrive in the Premier League. The Frenchman made just 33 appearances for Rennes' senior team, with 31 of those coming in Ligue 1.
"The worry for me is we've got Jacquet and [Ronald] Araujo," McAteer said while making an appearance on LFC TV. "Araujo's come from Barcelona, he's played in big games. Barcelona is a massive club, as big as Liverpool. He's suited to that environment, he's been in that environment. You could throw him in at Man United away and he'd be used to it.
"Jacquet, I get a little bit worried, first season from the French league, young, can you cope with that pressure? There are players who haven't."
To illustrate his point, McAteer highlighted Florian Wirtz's difficult start during the early stages of his Liverpool career.
After arriving from Bayer Leverkusen for a reported $157 million, the German midfielder managed no goals and just one assist across his opening nine appearances for the Reds.
Jason McAteer expressed concern that Jeremy Jacquet might struggle out the gate with Liverpool
Jason McAteer expressed concern that Jeremy Jacquet might struggle out the gate with Liverpool(Image: Getty Images)
"Look at Wirtz, he's catching up now, but I thought he was a slow starter," McAteer added. "[Jeremie] Frimpong was a slow starter. I don't know which way it's gonna go, who's gonna be the preferred center-half, he could switch it up."
Just minutes into Sunday’s preseason match, however, Jacquet made McAteer eat his words. The 21-year-old swiftly stole the spotlight while displaying calmness on the ball, an impressive recovery pace and the ability to escape tight situations.
Jacquet capped off a spotless first half by netting his first Anfield goal seconds before the break, tapping home Cody Gakpo’s cross to give Liverpool a 2-0 advantage.
Following a stellar 45 minutes, Jacquet was replaced at half-time by fellow newcomer Ronald Araujo, who joined the Reds on a one-year season loan from Barcelona.
Speaking to reporters during a post-match press conference, Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola insisted that he was thoroughly impressed by both Jacquet and Araujo. “I think Jeremy played really well,” he said.
“Also Ronald played really well when he came in. When you have two new faces, first game for both, they do so well.
“It was also a very good performance of Jeremie Frimpong, playing 90 minutes as a right-back, helping us offensively but closing very well his side also. So, some good performances at the back.”