James McConnell Praised Following Liverpool U21s’ Draw with Benfica in the Premier League International Cup
Liverpool U21s midfielder James McConnell was singled out for praise following their draw with Benfica in the Premier League International Cup over the weekend. McConnell, 19, has yet to make his senior debut for Jurgen Klopp’s side, but has five Premier League 2 appearances under his belt already this season and made the first-team matchday squad for the second time in Saturday’s Merseyside derby at Anfield.
Having watched on from the substitutes bench against Everton, McConnell then went on to play and score for Barry Lewtas’ U21 side the following day. He equalised at the AXA Training Centre just five minutes after Filipe Cruz opened the scoring with a brilliant goal of his own to give Benfica U21s the lead.
Lewtas Describes It as an “Unbelievable” Weekend for McConnell
Lewtas described it as an “unbelievable” weekend for the teenager and lauded the variety of attributes he has within his game. “For James to be on the bench at Anfield in the Merseyside derby and then start for us, I thought he did ever so well and took his goal well,” the U21s boss told the club’s official website.
McConnell joined the club from Sunderland in 2019 and caught the attention of Klopp and his backroom team by notching five goals and three assists from midfield in the U18 Premier League last season. Klopp described McConnell as a “joy to watch” following an impressive friendly display against Leicester during the summer.
McConnell Could Make His Full Debut for Liverpool Soon
With Liverpool moving along nicely in the League Cup and Europa League with rotated sides, McConnell will likely have one eye on making his full debut for the club sooner rather than later. He is showing lots of different things to his game this year, playing as a No.6, scoring headers, and could be a valuable asset for Klopp as Liverpool look to continue their success this season.