Jurgen Klopp hasn’t had the greatest of starts to a season with this Liverpool side, winning only three of their opening eight matches in all competitions, with a 4-1 humbling at Napoli particularly tough for the manager to take, especially with his success on the continent.

With the team struggling and Klopp potentially close to a crisis, he can have some comfort in how he has built an incredible squad over his seven-year spell on Merseyside, and that trickles down to the youth level too.

The German has introduced talents such as Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliot into the first team, and a young French defender might just be next…

Billy Koumetio can be the perfect Konate heir

The Anfield side signed Billy Koumetio from US Orleans in 2019 when he was just 16 years old and he was dubbed “promising” by journalist Mohamed Bouhafsi at the time of the move.

He signed his first professional contract in August having experienced a taste of the first team squad for a Carabao Cup tie against Arsenal, and even though he didn’t make it off the bench, the 16-year-old would have gained some crucial experience.

The young Frenchman eventually got a taste of the first team, becoming Liverpool’s youngest ever player in the Champions League, coming on as a substitute for Fabinho in their clash against Midtjylland in 2020, with Klopp clearly a fan of the defender, saying after the tie that “there is more to come” from Koumetio.

With fellow countryman Ibrahima Konate impressing since arriving at Anfield, there is no doubt who Koumetio is looking up to in his ambitions to eventually become Konate’s heir in the team.

The 19-year-old’s biggest test will come this season, with the centre-back joining Austria Vienna for a season-long loan, which will give him the chance to experience regular first-team football at the highest level.

The 6 foot 3 titan has played five matches so far this season and is showing his talent in Austria. He has won 60% of his total duels, made on average 1.8 interceptions per match, and is only dribbled past 0.2 times each game, showing his physicality at such a young age.

There are high hopes for the Frenchman at Liverpool, and with Klopp a big fan, there should be a pathway to the first team if he continues to impress.