Liverpool fans are keenly anticipating the signing of the latest wonderkid to the Liverpool academy this afternoon.
Allan Rodrigues de Souza trained with the first-team this morning, as the Daily Mail report, and that has led to many predicting that a £500,000 deal is set to go through in the coming days.
The 18-year-old midfield playmaker is thought to be among the brightest talents coming out of Brazil right now, and the Reds will certainly be pleased to have seemingly won the race for his signature.
In the list below, we take a more in depth look at our likely new player…
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Where did we spot him?
Allan first caught the eye of the Liverpool scouts whilst playing at the Frenz International Cup – one of the most prestigious tournaments for young players – earlier this year. His team, Internacional, won the competition – defeating both Valencia and Porto’s youngsters en route to lifting the trophy. Our man scored twice in five appearances, including this brilliant 40-yard effort…
Internacional pedigree?
He should be. Internacional have a rich history of producing superb young players. Among their most successful academy products are Alexandre Pato, Nilmar, Luiz Adriano, Sandro, Fred and Taison, who have all enjoyed successful spells in European football. Pato is probably the most well known name on that list. The Brazilian won the Golden Boy award in 2009, an accolade that has previously been won by Lionel Messi, Cesc Fabregas, Sergio Aguero and – most recently – Raheem Sterling.
Part of the family
Allan will become the fourth Brazilian on Liverpool’s books, along with Lucas Leiva, Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino – a pretty tough act to follow admittedly. Popular full-back Fabio Aurelio and goalkeepers Doni and Diego Cavalieri are the other three players from the country to have featured for the Reds in the past. The 18-year-old will be the only Brazilian currently with the academy when he joins – although the elder Brazilians in the first-team squad will no doubt help him settle in.
The future is bright
The Reds have already invested heavily in our academy side this summer. Among those coming in have been Bobby Adekanye from Barcelona and Brooks Lennon from Real Salt Lake. Allan would most likely play with Neil Critchley’s U18 alongside his two new teammates, but the odd appearance for the Under-21 side is not beyond the realms of possibility, especially if some of our slightly more senior players go out on loan. Our second string will be looking to go one better than last season, when they finished second in the league behind Manchester United.
A link to the past
Internacional’s current manager – Diego Aguirre – previously worked with former Liverpool defender Sebastian Coates during his time with Uruguay’s Under-20 side. Among his other prodigies are Gaston Ramirez (Southampton) and Abel Hernandez (Hull City) – let’s hope that his latest wonderkid can surpass the somewhat limited achievements of those three players in the Premier League.
