All You Need To Know

Kieran Morrison has been named as part of the Liverpool lineup to face Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup, marking the highly regarded 18-year-old’s first-team debut.

Morrison is one of 10 changes to the side from Saturday’s 3-2 defeat to Brentford and one of two debutants in Arne Slot‘s rotated XI.

It comes after his involvement on the bench at the Gtech Community Stadium at the weekend and means he becomes the sixth academy player to make his first appearance under Slot.

But who is Morrison and what can Liverpool fans expect?

Who is Kieran Morrison?

Morrison is a fairly recent signing for the Premier League champions, having joined from rivals Man United as an under-14s player in 2021.

He has made swift progress through the youth ranks and is now a key player for the U21s.

Though born and raised in Manchester, Morrison qualifies for Northern Ireland through his grandmother and recently stepped up to their under-21s squad.

A first senior call-up is not likely to be far off given manager Michael O’Neill’s willingness to rely on youth – as seen with Conor Bradley‘s fast rise to prominence for his country.

This Is Anfield understands a number of clubs, including Wolves, Burnley and Sunderland, were interested in signing Morrison over the summer but he was convinced to stay and is now expected to sign a new contract.

Where can he play?

A versatile attacker, Morrison can play in almost every role across the forward line as well as in midfield as either a No. 8 or No. 10.

His best position however is on the right wing, and restored to that role by new U21s head coach Rob Page he has found outstanding form this season.

Morrison had a hand in every goal as the U19s beat Frankfurt 5-4 in his most recent outing in the UEFA Youth League.

What can fans expect?

While Morrison is not new to senior football – he actually made one of his first appearances for the U21s as a 16-year-old against Blackpool’s first team in the EFL Trophy in 2023 – it is clearly a step up from academy life.

But the teenager is a fearless competitor who will be willing to take on his marker time and time again, looking to find space between Palace’s left-sided centre-back Marc Guehi and wing-back Borna Sosa.

His creativity could be a key outlet for the Reds if they are to take a result and progress to the quarter-finals, and he could earn Slot’s trust in more meaningful games moving forward.

What have coaches said?

Speaking to journalists including the Liverpool Echo‘s Ian Doyle following Morrison’s performance against Frankfurt U19s, coach Page said:

“Kieran was outstanding. They could not cope with him, they ended up doubling up against him.

“He rises to the occasion. You want your big players to turn up in big games.

“He fell into that category alongside others, such as Trey Nyoni in the middle of the park who shows his quality every time he plays for us and he has experience at a young age.

“We are always looking at how to develop them as individuals. The main thing we have said to Kieran is the final detail, the same for Trent.

“It’s about that end product, that final decision – you need to be ruthless. Against top teams you do not get these chances, they are limited.

“When you get them, you need to be ruthless in your actions. All he can do is worry about bringing that level every single week.”

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