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Liverpool got their pre-season schedule under way on Sunday as they visited Preston North End at Deepdale.

It was an emotional day for everyone connected to the Reds as they paid tribute to Diogo Jota for the first time in a match setting.

Tributes were laid to Jota, with a rousing rendition of You’ll Never Walk Alone a particularly heart-breaking moment.

The team which Arne Slot sent out for the first time since losing the No.

20 was perhaps a little younger than many had expected, with the likes of Rio Ngumoha and Trey Nyoni in the starting XI.

Ngumoha immediately caught the eye and it is inevitable that the 16-year-old will be in the headlines following an explosive 45-minute appearance.

But Ngumoha was far from the only Liverpool youngster to make an impression at Deepdale.

Nyoni stood up to be counted and showed why he too is someone to get excited about.

Photo by Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images

Nyoni’s inclusion in the starting XI should not necessarily have been a surprise on Sunday.

Slot has been raving about Nyoni ever since his arrival at the club one year ago, and he made a big impact in the Dutchman’s first pre-season last year.

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The 18-year-old may have only made five first-team appearances in the season that followed, but in each one he showed composure, class and pure talent.

That continued on Sunday, with Nyoni excelling alongside Ryan Gravenberch in the Liverpool midfield.

READ MORE: Florian Wirtz and Virgil van Dijk left out of Liverpool’s squad to face Preston for the same reason

There is something of Gravenberch in the way Nyoni can step away from his marker, and he did not look out of place next to the Premier League’s Young Player of the Year.

With Slot perhaps looking for another option to rotate with Gravenberch next season, this was an excellent first audition of the campaign for Nyoni.

Liverpool fans could see Nyoni was ‘special‘ ever since his first outing for the senior side in the USA last year.

The former Leicester City prospect is clearly a cut above for his age group.

And although his chances were limited last term, Sunday’s game highlighted his talent once again.

Slot clearly loves Nyoni and it should be expected that he’ll feature around the first team a little more next season.

Still so young, the teenager will clearly not be a regular on the team sheet.

But perhaps he can make it into double figures for appearances in 2025/26.

If Sunday’s display is anything to go by, there is absolutely no reason Nyoni cannot accomplish that.

Alongside Ngumoha, he is a star in the making.