The head coach of Liverpool, Arne Slot, praised the performance of 20-year-old midfielder James McConnell against PSV Eindhoven and expressly excluded a loan train for the former youth team player.
McConnell made his debut in the Champions League in the Netherlands on Wednesday evening and, despite the 3-2 defeat of Liverpool, fell his manager’s attention. The combative midfielder ended with a team high-tackles while he was standing next to Wataru Endo and Harvey Elliott.
Slot called a youthful XI for the dead rubber, who left Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold on Merseyside. The Dutch boss admitted that some of the young players exhibited could be loaned this month to get more exposure to the first team before adding: “There are definitely one that is not borrowed: James McConnell.
“I liked him very much today. Maybe the end result would be good for him today [elsewhere] But he is a player who has not played much in the past six or seven months because he was injured for a while. He impressed me very much today.
“He is competitive in the training units we had, he is always very competitive. I am not surprised [by how he played]But they always wonder how they will react at this level. James plays and is competitive. He definitely deserves honor for his performance today. “
McConnell enjoyed a much better evening than his young man Amara Nallo. The 18-year-old central defender was brought by the bank for his high-ranking debut in Liverpool before collecting a straight red card.
“It’s cruel,” complains Slot, “but he has never played football in the first team and then it is probably difficult to make your debut in the Champions League level. I think he has misinterpreted the situation and it is Immediately a problem in this level or Premier League Level.
“It is a big moment for him from which he can learn from, and it is cruel when you think ten minutes before the end: ‘I make my debut in the Champions League’, but a few moments later go with a red one Card los. “
McConnell defended his teammate. “I would not say a nightmare, he is a top young defender, he will learn from it” LFCTV. “He will have many more experiences like this. Obviously, his head is a bit depressed, but it is part of the game in the end. He took one for the team and obviously sent off the game.”