Is Liverpool starlet Suso ready for the step up to the big time?
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has admitted that 18-year-old attacker Suso will be given opportunities with the first team this season due to the club's stretched squad, saying, "Boys like Suso will get their opportunity." That will be music to the ears of many Liverpool supporters, with calls for Suso's inclusion in the senior side growing in recent months after his strong showing with Spain in the summer, but now that it's a reality, should fans temper their optimism with a touch of realism? talkSPORT ask whether the youngster is really ready for the responsibility of first team football...
Name: Jesus 'Suso' Fernandez Saez
Position: Attacking midfielder
Club: Liverpool
Date of birth: 19 November 1993
Birthplace: Algeciras, Cadiz, Spain
International appearances: 9 (Spain U19)
Why is he so highly rated?
Suso looked a cut above many of his peers at the 2012 U19 European Championship and the attacker's role in Spain's victory at the tournament showed that he's quickly outgrowing youth football. Spain's youngsters play in a similar way to their senior squad, whose style shares much with what Brendan Rodgers is attempting to implement at Anfield, so there shouldn't be any difficulty in getting the midfielder to adjust to Liverpool's system.
That certainly seemed to be the case in Liverpool's pre-season, where the youngster impressed throughout a second half appearance against Toronto FC, looking more than comfortable amongst his superiors in the senior team. Had Suso been playing for Barcelona, who were interested in signing the youngster from Celta Vigo before Liverpool came out on top, they would likely have already given him opportunities to try first team football by now, so why can't Liverpool?
Where he might fit in
Though it's dangerous to compare Suso to any of Spain's golden generation, in terms of his playing style, he shares some similarities with Andres Iniesta and Cesc Fabregas. During his only senior appearance for Liverpool, he was given licence to either drop deep to receive the ball and play it through for his team mates, or alternatively, to push forwards in possession towards the box and attempt to dribble his way to success. With Spain's Under-19's he appeared to be asked to play a more withdrawn role, tending to release the ball to a team-mate further up the pitch instead of driving into the box, but if his display for Liverpool against Toronto is anything to go by, Brendan Rodgers will ask him to get forward more often in order to provide an additional goal threat.
A word of caution
Though Suso clearly has the raw materials to succeed in Liverpool's first team, the step up from youth to senior football often defies logic and players that once looked among the best in the world in their youth days have often went on to falter as seniors. Take Suso's compatriot and former FC Barcelona forward Bojan Krkic for example. The striker broke every conceivable goalscoring record in the youth categories of Barca, finding the net over 800 times and averaging around 3.5 goals per game during his academy days, yet he's now at his third club in two years, despite his displays at youth level leading many pundits to proclaim that he would go on to be even better than Lionel Messi. Though Suso has everything in his favour to suggest he'll be a success at Liverpool, expectations should be tempered with realism in light of similar stories in the past. Moreover, will Liverpool supporters really be patient enough to allow him the time to settle in, considering the already growing pressure at the club to start winning and winning well? Making sure Suso's given the right environment to grow in as a player, not only behind the scenes, but in front of the fans, might be half the battle in ensuring he succeeded.
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Is Suso ready for the Premier League, or is there too much pressure at Anfield right now for the youngster to succeed? Comment below and let us know what you think...