Liverpool FC prospect Kaide Gordon has been tipped to break into the first team this season by The Athletic after an impressive pre-season.
The 16-year-old has earned minutes during the side’s pre-season games in mainland Europe and the United Kingdom.
The youngster joined from EFL Championship side Derby County in February for an initial fee of £1 million and mainly appeared for Liverpool’s U18 team for the second half of last season.
The English forward scored nine times across 15 games for Marc Bridge-Wilkinson’s side in the U18 Premier League and racked up three assists to compliment that.
His attacking output was important to the side as he averaged a goal or assist every 99 minutes for them.
His strong showings at that level earned the youth prospect an upgrade before the season ended, getting minutes with the Liverpool U23’s in the Premier League 2.
Gordon’s performances made an impression on the senior coaching staff at Liverpool and he has only improved upon that with his chances in pre-season.
He remained with the squad when they moved from Austria to France and appeared for the side against Bologna.
Assistant manager Pep Lijnders talked about Kaide’s pre-season in the final instalment of his training camp diary series for the Liverpool site.
“Kaide’s first game was his highlight of this tour, the second one was even better because there were fans there. He learned his positioning to press. It’s an intensity he’d never felt. The disallowed goal was his worst moment, I’m sure.”
Lijnders noted that the 16-year-old attacker was speaking to Liverpool’s full-backs, Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold at the time of writing (Pep spoke to James Carroll).
The Dutch football coach said that he was getting advice from the full-backs.
Gordon’s attitude and application, of which Pep’s words on him attest to, are something that The Athletic believes stands to him.
They see him as “quick, skilful and a creative force” that is also “fearless” on the pitch.
A big 2021/22 season could be what lies ahead for the seven-figure signing from Derby.
