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(Reuters) – Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp praised central defender Rhys Williams after the 19-year-old impressed in his first Champions League start in Tuesday’s 5-0 win over Atalanta.
Williams was pushed into the starting lineup following injuries to Virgil van Dijk and Fabinho.
“Rhys was exceptional. I can’t imagine being 19 years old and playing my second professional match in the Champions League against Duvan Zapata, it’s incredible,” Klopp said.
“I couldn’t be happier for him. You should see him in the dressing room, you would need something special to take the smile off his face. Good to see him.”
Klopp said the absence of Dutch defender Van Dijk, who could miss the rest of the season after undergoing knee surgery last month, had forced the rest of the team to share the defensive workload.
“The way he defended the team was absolutely incredible. We had to change because Virgil is gone, so we share the responsibility, we put it on 10 shoulders instead of one,” he said.
“Everyone has to step up; Andrew Robertson, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez are in charge. If Joel Matip plays, then it is different, but if he is one of the young players, then they have to master that line.” .
Liverpool travel to Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday.
(Reporting by Arvind Sriram in Bengaluru; Edited by Peter Rutherford)
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