The defensive midfielder continues to take positive steps at Liverpool.
Liverpool’s Kevin Stewart in action
When a manager arrives at a new club, he usually looks to identify a player who has been on the periphery that he can help to take the next step and for Jurgen Klopp that player is Kevin Stewart. The 23-year-old has had a far from smooth journey in Football which began in the youth ranks at Tottenham, before being loaned out to Crewe Alexandra.
Stewart left Spurs after four seasons without making a first team appearance and in the summer of 2014 joined Liverpool on a free transfer. He then had to bide him time further by being loaned out again to Cheltenham Town, Burton Albion and Swindon.
Liverpool’s Kevin Stewart in action with Tottenham’s Tom Carroll
However a knee ligament injury curtailed his development so he returned to the club in September of last year to start his rehabilitation. He returned to the pitch at the start of this year playing in some academy games to regain fitness and form. Originally coming to the Reds as a Full-back, the academy coaches transformed him into a Defensive midfielder due to his strong athletic ability.
Stewart finally made his debut for the club in the third round FA Cup tie against Exeter and also played in the fourth round tie against West Ham. Klopp gave him chances in the Premier League to impress when he was juggling his squad with Europa League commitments taking precedence. Although Liverpool are not playing in Europe this season and squad rotation has been kept to a minimum, Stewart has been in the match day squad most weeks and has made quite a few cameo appearances notably against Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham.
Liverpool’s Kevin Stewart in action with Tottenham’s Josh Onomah
While the minutes played in those three games would barely tally up to double figures, he was given a deal of responsibility by Klopp who trusted him to play a important role in the tense final stages of those closely contested matches. Stewart started his first game of the season last night in Liverpool’s 2-1 win against Tottenham in fourth round of the EFL Cup.
Speaking after the game Klopp was glowing in his praise of the competitive nature of Stewart. “He was very good and very important. I’ve said it a few times, he is the best challenger in the squad, just outstanding and is really ugly to play against as well as being a good Footballer.” With support like that, you suspect Stewart has a bright future ahead of him at Liverpool.
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