Hailed as ‘big talent’ by Jurgen Klopp could Billy Koumetio be set for Liverpool debut

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Liverpool’s defensive shortage has been exacerbated this week by an injury to Brazilian stand-in Fabinho. The midfielder by-trade joins Virgil van Dijk and Joel Matip on the injury list, leaving Jurgen Klopp relying on Joe Gomez to be his senior defender and Rhys Williams to step up to first-team duties against West Ham United. 

But when it comes to the bench, it appears that the Liverpool boss will be choosing between Nathaniel Phillips and Billy Koumetio, as he confirmed in his press conference this week. 

“We still have Billy the kid [Koumetio] and Nat Phillips as well,” Klopp is quoted by the Liverpool ECHO. “Billy was not available for some reasons in the last 10/12 days but he’s now back.

“They all train with us, they are all with us and now we have to make decisions.”

Both players did not feature for the Liverpool under-23s this week but have trained with the first-team.

So could Koumetio be on the brink of a first-team berth?

The Frenchman seems the more likely choice, considering the fact his long-term future appears to be at Liverpool whilst Phillips was expected to move on in the summer and is out of contract next year. 

Koumetio, who was on the Liverpool bench for the Community Shield, joined Liverpool for a nominal fee in 2018 from US Orleans.

Jurgen Klopp called the 17-year-old a ‘big talent’ in September and it would be no surprise to see the teenager given a place on the bench for this evening’s game. The German is a huge fan of the French youth international, who he has nicknamed ‘Billy the kid’ and has praised on numerous occasions.

If injury befalls any of the current Liverpool defenders, then it might even be time for a debut appearance for this talented teenager.