-Credit:Getty Images
Jayden Danns couldn’t have picked a much better time to hit form in front of goal as Liverpool faces a big decision over his future.
The 18-year-old is making up for lost time, having spent much of the first half of the season out injured, and he’s once again impressing after enjoying a breakthrough into the first team last season. Having scored after coming off the bench in the FA Cup win over Accrington Stanley at the weekend, Danns didn’t waste much time in getting on the scoresheet again on his return to the U21s.
The teenager struck just 11 minutes into the young Reds’ Premier League International Cup clash against Sparta Prague as he sent another timely message to Arne Slot, with a decision set to be made over his immediate future.
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Danns had looked set to make the move on loan to Plymouth Argyle during the summer before injury struck – who knows, the young striker might have been able to keep Wayne Rooney in a job with the Championship side.
Now, having returned to fitness, Liverpool will have to decide whether to send him away for some first-team action for the remainder of the season, or keep him on Merseyside to aid the Reds’ title push. Slot was uncertain when asked about the prospect of Danns heading out on loan this month, having been left impressed by his impact in training and, of course, off the bench against Accrington.
“The last thing (going out on loan in January), I don’t know at the moment,” Slot said. “What I like most about him (Danns) and most of the academy players is the mentality they have.
“That is a big compliment to him and definitely a big compliment to our youth academy because if you are a youngster and come to the first team, sometimes you’re used in a way you might not expect.
“Although it is common in football, you’re playing with the other team that has to copy sometimes the team we face over here, sometimes you’re in a different position.
Liverpool faces a decision over whether to send Jayden Danns out on loan this month -Credit:Getty Images
“He is a striker, but if we play 11-v-11 and I make the choice to play [Diogo] Jota and on the other side, Darwin [Nunez] is playing as a nine so he has to play as an 11 or a six or whatever position we need him. But he will, like all of the other academy players, give all he has. And James McConnell is also another perfect example of that.
“If that is your mentality, you can reach it and definitely get the most of your potential and that’s what is going to happen with him. What his potential is, that probably needs some time to find out if he, in the end, will be a starter for us but he will have a very good career because of his mentality, I’m very sure of.”
What the next step is in that career is the conundrum facing Slot and Liverpool right now though. You certainly wouldn’t expect many, if any, opportunities in the Premier League or Champions League, but if the Reds go far in the FA Cup, there could be chances for Danns there.
And if he can keep up his current goalscoring form, it will become harder for Slot to not give him more opportunities in the first team. Already with Nunez struggling and speculation growing over his future, there are plenty of fans who feel Danns should get more chances.
There are just a couple of weeks for Liverpool to make its decision, but based on current evidence, there will be a big temptation to keep Danns where he is.