Liverpool didn't expect me in the first team just yet - but I won't stop until I'm one of the best in the world

While Liverpool completed an £150m midfield overhaul this summer, they were unsuccessful when it came to strengthening their defensive ranks.

Jurgen Klopp had admitted the Reds were in the market for a new centre-back back in May, but despite reported interest in the likes of Levi Colwill and Micky van de Ven, the unexpected exits of Fabinho and Jordan Henderson to Saudi Arabia instead resulted in Liverpool prioritising their engine-room revamp.

Having infamously lost all their senior centre-backs to season-ending injuries as recently as the 2020/21 campaign, such a decision was something of a gamble. But the emergence of Jarell Quansah from the Reds’ academy has ensured that it is one that has certainly not backfired.

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The 20-year-old has made nine appearances for Liverpool so far this campaign, having enjoyed a half-season loan stint with League One Bristol Rovers at the start of the calendar year.

Suddenly playing Premier League and Europa League football for Klopp’s men after an eye-catching pre-season, Quansah’s emergence in the first-team squad has been a welcome bonus for the Reds’ this year with even his manager initially surprised at his progress.

And the 20-year-old is aware that such a step-up, which he has made seamlessly at Anfield, is rather unusual in elite-level football.

“You can look at that both ways, can’t you?” Quansah told the ECHO and other media outlets while away on international duty with England Under-21s. “‘Surprised’ could be deemed as an interesting word, but I think the way he (Klopp) means it, I wasn’t really expected to be there yet.

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