We’re getting a pretty good idea of how this story unfolds: another day, another highly promising young player moves to Liverpool. It’s a story I’ve enjoyed reading and this latest chapter, where the Reds sign up Javier Manquillo, hasn’t disappointed in the least.
It’s easy to get ahead of yourself and start proclaiming the 20-year old as one of the hottest prospects in European football, but though that may end up being a lot closer to the truth than any of imagined, the former Atletico Madrid man — along with many of our other signings — remain relatively unproven. That, strangely enough, is one of the things I’m most excited about.
Video courtesy of Rayted Are
We’ve seen Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers perform an astounding amount of magic during his short time on Merseyside and his work with young players would be of particular note had our squad not been rife with them. One only has to look towards the meteoric rise of Raheem Sterling, the goal scoring prowess of Daniel Sturridge, the re-invigoration of Philippe Coutinho and the emergence of Jon Flanagan to understand that the talent the Reds are recruiting have a real chance of flourishing on Merseyside. This, of course, includes our newest recruit.
“I’m very happy to have signed for a club like Liverpool. I think it’s one of the biggest in Europe. Any footballer would want to come and play here” he told the official website in his first interview after putting pen to paper on a two year loan deal. “When they tell you Liverpool want to sign you, like any player, you are going to be absolutely amazed and you don’t think of anything else other than going straight there.”
After shipping an unsightly 50-goals during over the course of last season’s Premier League campaign, defensive recruits were always expected to be brought in and Manquillo becomes the Reds second of the season after they confirmed the capture of Southampton center-half Dejan Lovren. Liverpool are facing a tricky year with the club having to balance the rigors of a Champions League campaign for the first time since 2009 after finishing runners-up to Manchester City last season.
As the Reds look to build a squad that can compete both at home and abroad, Manquillo could very well play an important role in this. Though he’s unlikely to be a nailed on starter, the youngster will provide stiff competition for Anfield stalwart Glen Johnson and also push Flanagan — who found himself entrenched in the side following a number of injuries to first team regulars last season — to keep on improving. With Rodgers setting a renewed focus on winning silverware this term, the 20-year old may play a key role in securing something shiny for the already packed trophy case.
“It really was a great group of players. From a personal point of view it was a disappointing year for me. I was unlucky with injury, but for the group as a whole it was a brilliant year” explained Manquillo when asked about last season in which Atletico Madrid won La Liga and narrowly lost out to Real Madrid in the Champions League final. “We managed to achieve things that from the outset appeared almost impossible, so let’s hope that I find something similar here; a team that has the highest aspirations and can win as much as possible.”
There’s no doubt that Liverpool will be shooting for the moon after coming up short in the Premier League title race last season. While it’s important to temper expectations of both our shot at claiming top spot for the first time since 1990 and of our new, yet to be tested players, it’s hard not to get swept up in a wave of excitement. Thankfully, Manquillo, despite dreaming big, is doing his best to keep his feet on the ground.
“Firstly, to accomplish all the targets that the club sets me. I believe that by working hard you can achieve anything” he said when asked about his goals for the season before going on to hear exactly what you want to hear any footballer your club signs say. “For me and almost every player, football is something you are born with, something you love and can’t live without.”
He’ll learn in due time that we feel the same way about this club.
–Steven
