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Iraola praises 'mature' and 'tactically smart' Nyoni
Trey Nyoni of Liverpool looks on during match

Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola is "confident" Trey Nyoni will "continue taking steps in the right direction" this season, after the 19-year-old made his first Champions League start in the 6-3 win over LASK.

Nyoni, who left Leicester City's academy to join the Reds' youth set-up in September 2023, has made a total of 26 first-team appearances since his debut in February 2024.

The central midfielder is yet to make a Premier League start, but Ryan Gravenberch's one-match suspension and Dominik Szoboszlai's hamstring issues could see him line up alongside Alexis Mac Allister against Brentford on Saturday.

"He is very young and he hasn't got a lot of minutes in the first team, but he is very mature and he is tactically very smart," said Iraola. "He will continue taking steps in the right direction, I am confident in him.

"He has been involved in most of the last games, but he has to keep this level of performance and training. He has to be able to play as a six or an eight. He has to be able to start or to play one minute. He has to be able to put pressure on the other midfielders.

"It is very good that we can put in these younger players with not a lot of experience and they can perform in competitions like the Champions League and the Premier League."

With Liverpool currently on a run of six games in 17 days, Iraola also explained his squad rotation philosophy, saying: "We will need everyone in one moment or another. Everybody has to be ready because we will probably need them.

"This is the challenge of playing in competitions like the Champions League, no? It isn't going to just happen this week, it is going to be a constant thing this season so we have to adapt."

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