Heskey Backs “Quality, Quality Player” To Step Up And Excel If Iraola Hands Him His 1st League Start
Ex-Liverpool striker Emile Heskey says the Reds have a “quality, quality player” in Trey Nyoni.
The 19-year-old turned heads with his performance against Tottenham in the Carabao Cup midweek, and there are calls for him to start matches in the Premier League.
Speaking to PariuriX.com, Heskey revealed he has first-hand experience of working with Nyoni, and based on what he has seen, he is confident that the midfielder could step in and play his natural game:
“I was coaching at Leicester and Trey Nyoni was there, and he was [in the] U16’s, and for someone so slight and someone so young, his brain was further ahead than everyone else. He went with the U18’s, and it was just too easy for him. When I say too easy, I mean too easy. Then he went with the U21’s, and it was pretty much the same.”
“Trey has this ability to step into environments and just be himself with no pressure, and it just shows that he’s a quality, quality player. From when you’re a young lad and you’re the one who’s looking like the senior player, you’ve got something there, haven’t you?”
Nyoni is getting closer to the starting eleven
The teenager possesses a rare trait of playing with his head up, whilst consistently executing forward passes.
Nyoni is content to sit deeper and dictate the game, which gives Andoni Iraola a different option to the likes of Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch, who prefer to carry the ball forward.
In some ways, Nyoni is similar to Alexis Mac Allister, and there is an argument to say that the pair could be rotated in and out of the eleven when there are games every few days.
When will he get his first league start for Liverpool?
It seems unlikely that Nyoni will be named in the lineup to face Bournemouth, but there will be times after the international break when he could be called upon.
Iraola has mentioned the level of fatigue following Champions League fixtures, and Nyoni could well get his opportunity as a rotation option in the league following an away game in Europe.
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