Virgil van Dijk is not one to get carried away, so when he says he’s “excited about the future that’s coming,” listen up.
The Liverpool captain, like everyone else at Anfield, sees tremendous promise in teenage tyro Ben Doak, who, at the age of 17, is causing the kind of enthusiasm seen when Michael Owen made a stunning breakthrough at the same age.
With his debut in Linz, Doak became the Reds’ fourth-youngest player in European competition, and he displayed flashes of brilliance that had his captain salivating.
“It was an important night for him. “It was never going to be easy, it was a difficult pitch, but he could have set up at least two goals in the first half where he went past his man like there was no one there,” van Dijk added.
“Unfortunately, no one was on the receiving end of it. But I’m happy for him, and I’m also incredibly enthusiastic for him and his future. So we’re pretty happy with the night because there were a lot of positives in what was always going to be a difficult test.
Doak wasn’t the only child to make an appearance. Harvey Elliott, 20, displayed an incredible passing range as he ran the midfield, while Ryan Gravenberch, 21, contributed a fantastic second-half performance and an assist.
Add to those trio 18-year-old Stefan Bacjetic, who impressed as a stand-in right-back, and centre-back Jarrel Quansah, and Klopp has a plethora of talented young players at his disposal.
Curtis Jones is still only 22 years old, as is new signing and instant sensation Dominic Sozboszlai, and Trent Alexander-Arnold, Darwin Nunez, Alexis Mac Allister, Cody Gakpo, Ibrahima Konate, and Caoimhn Kelleher are all 24 years old.
That is the foundation of a club for the next decade, and van Dijk concedes that while the youthful team is still developing, players like Nunez – who impressed again in Austria – are injecting new energy into the group this season.
“Everyone has recognized Darwin’s potential and quality. The rivalry is fierce up front. “It’s great to see them all pushing each other,” he remarked.
“With the goal against LASK, Darwin was crucial.” Long may it continue, and so will the other boys. We’re getting better every day, and this was a nice step with the boys in Europe.”