Trey Nyoni has been Liverpool’s surprise standout of the early season, with the 19-year-old emerging as a viable midfield option over the first month of the season and then being given the chance to step into an even bigger role due to a heel injury that has limited Ryan Gravenberch’s involvement in recent weeks.
However, while Nyoni has certainly impressed on the pitch, going from academy football and spot appearances off the bench to playing two games a week is a big change for a teenage footballer.
“It is new to me, playing this many games,” Nyoni acknowledged ahead of Sunday’s match against Crystal Palace where he could start his fourth game in a row. “I didn’t even do that in the academy but slowly and steadily think I’m adjusting to the pace and tempo of the game—but you have to learn quick. There’s a lot I have to learn.
“But I am enjoying it. My main focus right now is playing football, performing every time I go on the pitch. The faith in youth the manager has and the players around me have in me has helped me settle a lot more.”
While positionally it has been Gravenberch’s issues that have been most responsible for the increase in minutes, Dominik Szoboszlai’s availability issues over the past month have also played a role, and with the Hungarian fully fit again it does at least give head coach Andoni Iraola more options for this Sunday’s match.
There’s also the upcoming international break, though Nyoni won’t be getting much downtime then, for better or worse. While he hasn’t been called up by the England senior side, he will join up with the U21s next week.
“To get where I want to get to, I have to be able to compete against the best players in the world,” Nyoni added of his rapidly growing first role this season. “The last week has been a really good learning experience but now I just have to keep going.”
