Jurgen Klopp Explains Jarell Quansah’s First Liverpool Start
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has explained why he has given academy graduate Jarell Quansah his first start for the club away to Wolves, with Ibrahima Konate only having returned from a hamstring injury earlier in the week.
Quansah, 20, is one of three players to come into the starting lineup after the international break, with the Warrington-born defender making his full debut for the Reds.
Speaking to BBC Sport prior to kickoff, Klopp revealed that the decision was made not to “force it” with Konate.
Klopp: “We Trust Him”
“Ibrahima Konate only came back two days ago, we could have forced it, but Jarell Quansah came on twice and did really well,” the manager said. “We trust him so I hope he can enjoy it.”
In a pre-match interview with TNT Sports, Klopp admitted that it was a “pretty big” occasion for the academy graduate, but backed Quansah to shine.
“I think it’s pretty big, but we try to make as little of it as possible,” he said. “I think he showed now, [he did] in pre-season anyway, but in the two games when he came on how good a player he is. So I think it makes most sense when we deal with it pretty naturally. We didn’t speak a lot, I just put him in the team yesterday and let him go. Now let’s hope that he can enjoy it!”
Quansah’s Liverpool Journey
Quansah joined Liverpool as a five-year-old and has made swift progress through the ranks in recent years. He was one of 16 players to feature in all five of the Reds’ warmup friendlies in pre-season, before coming off the bench against Newcastle and Aston Villa.
Van Dijk remains suspended for Saturday’s clash, while Trent Alexander-Arnold misses out with a hamstring problem. Konate is on the bench along with the likes of Ryan Gravenberch, Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez.
Conclusion
Quansah will be hoping to make an impression against Wolves and show Klopp that he can be trusted to perform at the highest level. It is a big opportunity for the youngster and one that he will be looking to take with both hands.