13 November 2023 , 09:18
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Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has been giving encouragement to teenage midfielder Trey Nyoni in training since his call-up to the senior ranks.
Nyoni, 16, only joined the Reds from Leicester City's youth squad in the summer but has already made a big impression at Anfield. The talented midfielder is already training with Jurgen Klopp's first team and was even named on the bench for Sunday's impressive 3-0 win over Brentford.
The England Under-17 international has a big fan in the form of Van Dijk - and Liverpool youth coach Jay Spearing has revealed that the Reds skipper went out of his way to offer advice to the youngster after he was invited to train with the seniors.
“Virgil came up to him and congratulated him on training with them,” Spearing explained ahead of the Brentford match while speaking to Liverpool's official website. “He said, ‘He’s got a lot more to come’ and he really liked him. Virgil also came out to watch the U-18s against Middlesbrough to see how Trey was playing.”
Nyoni, an attacking midfielder, has been in red-hot form for the club's development sides this term, contributing four goals and five assists in just 10 games so far. His rapid progression has seen him feature for the Under-21s more recently and he bagged an assist in their 2-1 defeat against League Two outfit Barrow in the EFL Trophy last week.
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He was also part of the Liverpool team that travelled to France to face Toulouse last week, however, the teenager was not eligible to feature against the Ligue 1 outfit as he was not included in the Reds' Europa League squad last month.
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Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk is a big fan of teenage prospect Trey Nyoni (Nick Taylor/Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)Klopp has been a big advocate of promoting youth during his Anfield premiership and has welcomed plenty of young talent into the first-team picture; something which should bode well for Nyoni if he can sustain his current trajectory.
Nyoni was lauded by U18s manager Marc Bridge-Wilkinson earlier this season after he scored a dramatic late winner in the Merseyside derby against Everton's youth team, which the Reds won 3-2.
"He had a big smile on his face and he was buzzing. It was a nice moment for him and it was a lovely little finish. It was a really pleasing moment for Trey and it was a really pleasing moment for the team because I thought we deserved to win that game."