Jurgen Klopp Honing Future Liverpool Star But With Reservations

Jurgen Klopp revealed that he has already included Billy Koumetio in Liverpool’s training camp in Austia. However, he also admitted that he has set certain reservations given the physical demands of the teenager.

Following a historic Premier League season, the English top-flight champs bolstered up their squad by completing the signing of Kostas Tsimikas from Olympiacos and also handing U18s goalkeeper Koumetio his first professional contract.

Klopp welcomed the arrival of both Tsimikas and Koumetio and has decided to invite the pair to the team's training camp in Austria. The Reds boss intended to assess the abilities of his new signings and also revealed his plans for the younger Koumetio.

Speaking via his club’s official website, Klopp admitted that he was surprised by Koumetio’s rapid physical growth, even referring to the France U18 international center-back as a “big talent.”

“I told him [Koumetio], ‘Last time I saw you, you were like 20 centimetres less if I’m right.’ That’s pretty special. Yes, he’s a big talent,” Klopp said.

Despite Koumetio’s impressive physical attributes, Klopp is cautious about the youngster’s condition, considering he has been dealing with injuries for “quite a while.” The renowned manager plans to put Koumetio at the team’s U23s but is convinced that now is the perfect time for Liverpool to help the defender prepare for a possible first team debut in the future.

“Billy was unfortunately injured for quite a while, so he’s now coming back. The perfect situation would be that he maybe really first be with the U23s and stuff like this. But a training camp is a nice opportunity for him, it’s good for us to see him,” Klopp said.

Klopp also revealed that he has explained to Koumetio that the training sessions could help him be on the right track. He then emphasized that he is aware of what Koumetio needs as a teenager and assures that they don’t force the progress of the youngster.

“I took him [Koumetio] this morning [Sunday] in a session because we have to make sure we don’t over-do [it] with him, it’s very important. So he was not part of the last part of the session physically but I took him aside and explained what we do there,” he explained. “I think things like this help him a lot and I’m pretty sure he will make big steps. We just have to make sure that we really deal with his age group and physical demands well.”