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Jürgen Klopp has praised the fearlessness of young defender Rhys Williams after he went into action in the Champions League in the middle of the week.
The 19-year-old defender was supposed to replace the injured Fabinho 29 minutes after the Reds’ eventual 2-0 win over FC Midtjylland at Anfield.
It was Williams’ fourth first-team appearance for Klopp’s side, and the boss is still encouraged by what he’s seeing from the Academy graduate.
In his schedule notes for today’s meeting with West Ham United, Klopp writes: “When the players are not available and we can’t change it, we shouldn’t focus on that.
“Again, at the time of writing I don’t know what the solution will be, but there will be a solution.
“Tuesday night was Rhys Williams and wow, what a performance. I love his attitude. The right amount of confidence and real courage in his approach. And I mean his holistic approach.
“His decision last season to go on loan to Kidderminster Harriers sums it up. Much helped by Julian Ward and Alex Inglethorpe from our club, he chose to go there, he took the opportunity and has come back to us more rounded and improved as a professional.” .
“I thank the Kidderminster coaches for the education they gave him, but most of all the credit to Rhys for rolling up his sleeves and committing to the idea.
“But, and here is the important part, it is still very early for Rhys, very early. The minutes he has in the Champions League were given by circumstances. It is not a case of now that it has arrived, and Rhys will know this is one of its best qualities.
“This is a player who is in the early stages of his development. He is still learning. He learns every day. We must give him space to continue learning, make mistakes and come back from them.
“Its focus should be – and we will make sure it is – on further development.”
“There is no pressure or expectation on Rhys from us other than to keep looking to improve and absorb as much information as I can and if opportunities arise, due to circumstances, do my best.”
The Liverpool manager continues: “It’s also worth noting that the players around him made a huge difference to our performance.
“Alisson, Joe Gomez, Robbo and Trent are leaders in their own way and I think they saw the responsibility they took on.
“Joe, in particular, has had to step up in recent weeks and he’s captured it in an impressive way.
“Joe is young in years but has a lot of experience. He knows how important he is to us in general, but at this time showing his best qualities on and off the court is very valuable.
“I love that he sees what we need from him and that he enjoys this opportunity. Sacrificing himself for the team has never been more critical and at Joe Gomez and all of our players we have men who embrace him and inspire us all with his approach.”
