From an outside perspective, Liverpool youngster Kieran Morrison has had an outstanding season, but his coach has labelled it “OK” and called for even more.
Morrison has been the standout performer for Liverpool U18s this season, with 13 goals and seven assists in 24 games, mostly from the right wing.
He has also featured five times for the U21s, including starts against Blackpool’s senior side in the EFL Trophy and in victory over Crystal Palace in the last 16 of the league playoffs last weekend.
But while U18s coach Marc Bridge-Wilkinson was full of praise for the 17-year-old, he believes it was only an “OK” campaign and laid out what he needs to do next.
“Kieran has done OK,” he told the club’s official website.
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“He has definitely scored and created some wonderful goals across the course of the season but he still has an awful lot to do and he knows that.
“He has still got to learn to put in a performance over the course of the 90 minutes and I’m sure he will continue to do that and continue to improve.
“He has had a real positive performance this season and now we are just looking to try to help him improve further.”
That perhaps explains why, despite the confusion of some, Morrison has been kept in the U18s for the majority of the season.
He appears to have outgrown that level, but Liverpool will view a player of his potential as a long-term project and decisions will be made to ensure he does not step up too quickly.
The full-time move to U21s football is likely to come next term, while Morrison himself will be hoping for more opportunities in first-team training, having joined the senior squad this year.
Bridge-Wilkinson and his fellow coaches will be looking to keep the teenager’s feet on the ground, fully aware of the calibre of player he could become.
Morrison signed his first professional contract with Liverpool at the end of April, with the deal believed to tie him to the club until 2027.
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