Northern Ireland Under-21s star set to make first Liverpool start in Carabao Cup clash
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Northern Ireland youngster Kieran MorrisonNorthern Ireland Under-21s star Kieran Morrison is set to make his first Liverpool senior start after being named in the starting line-up for their Carabao Cup clash with Crystal Palace.The 18-year-old is one of 10 changes made by manager Arne Slot to the team that was beaten by Brentford at the weekend – where he was an unused sub – and will get his opportunity to impress the manager at Anfield.Morrison is the sixth Liverpool academy prospect to make his first start under Slot having previously come on as a substitute and will be looking to follow in the footsteps of Conor Bradley, who is now an established first-team regular for the Reds.Read moreQualifying for Northern Ireland through his grandmother, Morrison has risen through the ranks at Windsor Park rapidly and is already in the Under-21 set-up despite still being in his teens.That progress has been mirrored at Anfield, where he is already consistently appearing for their Under-21 line-up where he has notched a goal and three assists in eight appearances having joined Liverpool from fierce rivals Manchester United back in 2021 at the age of 14.A versatile player, Morrison has found most of his success on the right wing for Rob Page’s Under-21 side this season, while it is potentially his performance for the Under-19s against Eintracht Frankfurt in the UEFA Youth League when he had a hand in all five of Liverpool’s goals which caught the eye of Slot enough to give him a maiden appearance against Crystal Palace.Liverpool and Northern Ireland midfielder Kieran Morrison“Kieran was outstanding. They could not cope with him, they ended up doubling up against him,” said Page after that Frankfurt game.“He rises to the occasion.
He fell into that category alongside others, such as Trey Nyoni in the middle of the park who shows his quality every time he plays for us and he has experience at a young age.“We are always looking at how to develop them as individuals. It’s about that end product, that final decision – you need to be ruthless.
Against top teams you do not get these chances, they are limited.“When you get them, you need to be ruthless in your actions. All he can do is worry about bringing that level every single week.”