Virgil van Dijk private chat speaks volumes as Liverpool coaches already wowed by breakout star

Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk knew teenage midfielder Trey Nyoni would be able to step up for the first-team this coming season .

In the Reds first pre-season game of their US tour against Real Betis at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, the 17-year-old came on off the bench to replace the injured Curtis Jones and impressed. Nyoni was calm on the ball, controlled the tempo of the game and looked to be well beyond his years.

Signed by Liverpool from Leicester City last year, Nyoni made his first-team debut for the Reds in the FA Cup as a 16-year-old. And manager Arne Slot was impressed by what he saw against Betis from the attacking midfielder.

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"You can see his quality," Slot said following the 1-0 win over Real Betis. "He needs some time to grow to play at Premier League level but he’s an interesting player."

And that praise from Slot came as no surprise to Liverpool defender van Dijk. Last season, the Reds skipper was on hand to personally congratulate Nyoni for training with the first-team, and for making the bench against Brentford, a game the Reds won 3-0.

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Liverpool youth coach Jay Spearing revealed back in November 2023: "Virgil came up to him and congratulated him on training with them. He said, ‘He’s [Nyoni] got a lot more to come’ and he really liked him. Virgil also came out to watch the U-18s against Middlesbrough to see how Trey was playing."

Given Nyoni's age, a loan move away from Anfield would likely seem the best course of action for the upcoming season. Liverpool are set to welcome back a host of stars come the beginning of August, and while Nyoni could be handed more chances in pre-season to impress out in the US, getting him regular minutes to hone his craft should be a priority for Liverpool if they want him to continue his development.