'Super game!' - Why Liverpool youngster deserves more recognition after faultless start

If one player deserves more credit from the footballing world this season, it is Liverpool's Jarell Quansah.

The 20-year-old started his fourth game of the season last night during the 2-1 EFL Cup victory over AFC Bournemouth and continued his 100% winning record.

Before this season, he had recorded just 16 senior appearances in League 1 for Bristol Rovers in League One and there was no indication that he was ready to step into Jurgen Klopp's side and make a real impact - but that is exactly what has happened.

Klopp spoke highly of the defender following the win last night: “Jarell Quansah was my Man of the Match. Super game! Strong in the tackles. We gave him the ball a lot. He had a lot to do. Great”.

The step-up so far has been seamless; he's shown a calmness on the ball, a defensive awareness and great quality on the ball. He managed an eye-catching 114 touches last night which was 39 more than any other player on the pitch. In fact, in his three starts, he has recorded the most touches.

Those came against Union SG in the Europa League and Championship table-toppers Leicester City in the EFL Cup - he has proven his quality in a short amount of time.

As it stands, he is enjoying game time in the domestic cups and Europa League and that is likely to continue as Liverpool continues to progress and those games so far have been perfect for him to settle in at this level.

With Joel Matip's current deal set to expire next summer, it is unclear if we will see the club offer him an extension because if they don't, it means that Quansah is seen as a key figure in their defensive setup.

And that would be quite the achievement, given that there have been few defenders to break through the academy into the first-team squad going back to before 2010.

Given his physicality, technical ability and performances so far, there is no reason why Quansah shouldn't be heralded as one of the best young defenders in England this season.

Of course, across the city, Everton's Jarrad Branthwaite is the same age but has vastly more experience after a loan at PSV and a starting role under Sean Dyche, but Quansah deserves praise for stepping up after such a limited senior career to date.

Not many expected him to earn the minutes he has done thus far, as a loan looked like a far more likely option. But it seems that he has muscled his way into Klopp's squad and he won't be leaving anytime soon.