Liverpool U21s coach Barry Lewtas has hinted at the potential of a real goal scorer coming through the ranks at Anfield.
The Reds academy has been pretty prolific of late, with Jurgen Klopp handing opportunities to youngsters on a regular basis.
Such is the way these days, supporters are usually aware of these talents long before they make their first-team debuts. And judging by Lewtas’ words after his U21s side lost to Burnley in the Lancashire FA Senior Cup on Tuesday, they now have another to keep track of: 17-year-old Jayden Danns.
“Dannsy a brilliant for the 18s,” the coach told liverpoolfc.com.
“He’s scored goals, all different types of goals and he’s look like a real No.9.
“Tonight [Tuesday] we can give him an opportunity, so he knows they will come his way.”
Dannsy is praise by Liverpool coaching staff
Although Liverpool have brought through all kinds of players over recent years, they have rarely seen an academy striker make the grade.
The last to given that chance was Layton Stewart. The 21-year-old was prolific at youth level before making his debut in the Carabao Cup last year.
However, Stewart was obviously deemed not quite ready just yet and was surprisingly sold to Preston North End in the summer.
Prior to that, the last academy No.9 that springs to mind is Neil Mellor. Mellor had a respectable Liverpool career having come through the ranks at Anfield, scoring six times in 22 games between 2002 and 2005.
Obviously, the mould for such players still has to be Robbie Fowler. Producing a player like Fowler doesn’t happen all that often though, the Scouser was a truly special striker.
That the academy brought through both he and Michael Owen within four years of each other was perhaps the trade-off for such a barren run in the years since.
Nevertheless, it sounds like Danns has an opportunity to one day make an impression in the first-team.
It’s still early days for the youngster, who is the son of former Crystal Palace midfielder Neil Danns. But having also been spoken about in glowing terms by Lewtas back in January, he does have potential.
As ever with youth prospects, a certain amount of caution should be advise surrounding expectations. But if he keeps scoring, then perhaps we’ll see more of Danns in the future.
