Harvey Elliott has been praised after preparing for his Anfield bow with an impressive outing for Liverpool under-23s.
Elliott, a summer signing from Fulham, was integral as the young Reds secured their first Premier League 2 win of the season at Southampton on Monday evening.
The 16-year-old created a goal for Luis Longstaff as Neil Critchley's side earned a 4-2 victory.
And the U23s coach was delighted with the link-up play between Elliott and fellow youngsters Rhian Brewster and Curtis Jones, who both found the target.
"I thought they caused a lot of problems with their movement, pace and energy," said Critchley.
"It was lovely for Rhian to get his first goal, he’s off the mark, Curtis got a goal too, a little bit of fortune but he made a lovely run in behind.
"I thought Harvey (and) his general play all night was excellent. He was a real thorn in their side and he showed really intelligence with his movement running in behind them.
"I thought his work-rate off the ball as well and his attitude to work for the team was fantastic. I was really impressed with him.
"I was really pleased with their contribution and hopefully they can take confidence from that moving forward."
Pedro Chirivella scored the Reds' other goal as they hauled themselves off the bottom of the early Premier League 2 table.
Elliott is likely to have his first taste of action at Anfield this weekend with Liverpool U23s next in action against Manchester City at the stadium on Saturday evening (kick-off 6pm).
And Critchley, speaking to liverpool.com, added: "When you get the chance to play at Anfield it’s always a fantastic occasion. That’s where our players want to be playing and in bigger meaningful games in the future.
"We can go there with a win under our belts and we know it will be a tough game against really good opposition. They have got some good players and we need to improve again with our performance, but hopefully we can go to Anfield and play with the ball like we did tonight.
"We just need to improve defensively particularly when the opposition get a bit of momentum in the game."
