Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has told Sky Sports that he knew Rhys Williams was a ‘proper talent’ as soon as he began training with the first team.
This hasn’t been a great season to be a Liverpool centre back. Joe Gomez and Virgil van Dijk both suffered major knee injuries, ruling them out for the majority of the season.
Joel Matip has suffered knocks too, meaning Klopp has been forced to bring through fringe players in that area of the pitch, with Williams the major success story.
The 19-year-old was on loan at Kidderminster Harriers in non-league football last season, but has now emerged as a real talent for Liverpool.
Williams has played eight first-team games for Liverpool this season, mostly featuring in the Champions League having quickly earned Klopp’s trust.
He has yet to play in the Premier League, but the Preston-born teenager surely isn’t far away from a league debut based on his displays this season.
Williams is now an England Under-21 international with two caps to his name, and many have high hopes for the defender given his size at 6ft 3in tall and his pace, as well as a promising reading of the game for his age.
Now, Klopp has admitted that he saw Williams as a ‘proper talent’ from the first moment he trained with the Liverpool first team, hailing the youngster for his quality .
“Rhys Williams? From the moment he trained with us, I could see he was a proper talent,” said Klopp, with Williams possibly in contention to face Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday given Matip’s latest injury concern.
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