Jurgen Klopp admits Sepp van den Berg will have to bide his time for first-team opportunities at Liverpool.
But the Reds boss has hinted they could come sooner rather than later as the 17-year-old begins to adapt to life with his new club.
Supporters will have to wait a little longer for their first glimpse of the summer signing in action with the £1.3million arrival from PEC Zwolle still awaiting international clearance.
It means he will miss Friday’s opening friendly of the US tour against Borussia Dortmund here in Notre Dame but could feature against Sevilla in Boston on Sunday.
With Liverpool well stocked for centre-backs at present, there is no call to throw Van den Berg in at the deep end when the season starts in earnest next month.
Klopp, though, has been impressed by the new boy.
“He’s a nice fella and a good footballer, but we knew that before, which is why we signed him,” said the Reds boss.
“But I’d only seen videos of him so it surprised me when he stood in front of me and was taller than me - that doesn’t happen too often in my life.
“Especially when they are 17 years old and still growing!
“He’s a wonderful boy and he decided to join us, which is good.
“It’s a not a long-term project where the boy has to think he has to wait five years to play for us, but it’s not for this moment.
“We don’t struggle in the centre-back position, we have a lot of options.
“Last year, there was a time when we had just one left plus Fabinho , that should not happen again. If we does, we find the solutions.”
Klopp added: “With Sepp, he’s just an outstanding talent.
“He has to adjust to a proper physical pre-season, which is hard for him so we help him and do the right things for his development. “
