Liverpool U23 coach Neil Critchley has stressed that Rhian Brewster is still regaining fitness and sharpness after his long-term injury layoff.
Brewster returned to the fold at the end of March after a long-term ankle injury had halted his rapid progress.
Jurgen Klopp made good on his vow to swiftly integrate into the first team set-up, and Brewster took his chance to impress in pre-season.
He scored four goals for the Reds, significantly boosting his prospects of regular senior outings over the course of the campaign.
What makes his form in those friendlies all-the-more impressive is the fact that he’s still on the road to full recovery.
Critchley says there is much more to come, physically and technically, as he gets more valuable minutes under his belt.
“Rhian needs to build up volume of football,” he told the Liverpool Echo. “He’s had a good pre-season where he has stayed fit and has managed some minutes for the first team and scored a couple of goals for them.
“He just has to keep playing games. If he does that, I’m sure at some point his fitness and general all-round game, co-ordination, his agility, his touch, his awareness, that will come back.”
“You have to remember how long he was out for. There were really good signs from him.”
There was frustration for Critchley, Brewster and the likes of Harvey Elliott and Ryan Kent on Saturday as they were dealt a 4-0 beating by Spurs in their Premier League 2 opener.
The gametime is clearly important for Brewster, but he’ll hope to catch Klopp’s eye with a return to goalscoring form to lift the youngsters up the table.