Trey Nyoni Makes Historic Debut For Liverpool At 16

Trey Nyoni has finally made his debut for the Liverpool senior team in the Reds’ 3-0 win over Southampton in an FA Cup match played at Anfield on Wednesday night.

The 16-year-old had been an unused substitute in the last two games, in the Premier League against Luton Town, and against Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final, respectively.

The forward got his first minutes when he was introduced in the 77th to play in the ‘Mohamed Salah position’. He replaced Harvey Elliott.

Liverpool scored through 18-year-old Lewis Koumas (44′), who was making his full debut, and Jayden Danns (73′, 88′), another 18-year-old forward who came on as a second-half substitute.

Speaking to ITV after the match, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp hailed the teenagers who are carrying the Reds due to a long injury list of senior players.

He said: “I said before the game that Lewis is a fantastic finisher. It can improve so much but he’s a fantastic finisher already and the goals are the same size in youth football.

“Dannsy, we knew he was a good finisher. His second goal is exceptional but it’s not different to youth football. He’s a striker, he knows what he has to do. The next one is another proof of his nose. Three times in the right spot, he just arrives there.

“We don’t take these things for granted, it was so difficult. We deserved to go through. It was top, top, top. We should not forget Trey [Nyoni] came on as well. What a player he is!”

Nyoni was born on June 30, 2007 in England to Zimbabwean parents, which means he is eligible to play for England, his country of birth, or Zimbabwe through his family.

He was with the Leicester City Academy for a decade and played for the Foxes in the U18 Premier League during the 2022/23 season.

Nyoni played for the club’s under-21 side against Porto in the Premier League International Cup in December, while he was still 15.

The youngster joined the Liverpool Academy in August 2023 following his departure from Leicester City the previous month.

Nyoni has featured for the Three Lions (England) at the youth level and scored and grabbed an assist on his debut for England Under-16s in a 3-2 friendly victory over Italy in 2022.