HE MAY NOT have played, but it was a special night for 19-year-old Kildare native Conor Masterson nevertheless.
With injuries at the back, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp named the young centre-half on the bench for Wednesday evening’s Champions League quarter-final first leg win over Manchester City.
And although he didn’t make it onto the field, the German coach spoke highly of him after the final whistle.
“Conor is a good boy,” Klopp told RTÉ’s Tony O’Donoghue.
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“Very confident, I’m not sure if that’s typical of Ireland, but when I told him this morning that he will be in the squad, he said ‘I’m ready man’, so that’s cool.”
Former Lucan United schoolboy Masterson still has some way to go before establishing himself in senior football, and the reality is that he will probably have to leave the Reds and drop down a level or two to gain first-team experience in the coming years.
However, the signs are encouraging and he was thankful of this latest step in his development.
It was an unbelievable experience,” Masterson added. “Just going out to warm-up and to see the fans and the atmosphere, it was just surreal, really.
“The team was unbelievable with the performance — 3-0 against the best side in the country.
“I like to come across confident, it’s a good thing to have,” he replied, when asked about his manager’s comments. “That’s just the way I am, I’m just being myself and I think that’s key to success.
“I have to thank Lucan United and everybody there who got me here.”
Watch the interviews in full below:
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has been impressed by a confident Conor Masterson pic.twitter.com/uT3yv727ES
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'Very confident, I'm not sure if that's typical of Ireland': Kildare teen part of Liverpool's big European win
HE MAY NOT have played, but it was a special night for 19-year-old Kildare native Conor Masterson nevertheless.
With injuries at the back, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp named the young centre-half on the bench for Wednesday evening’s Champions League quarter-final first leg win over Manchester City.
And although he didn’t make it onto the field, the German coach spoke highly of him after the final whistle.
“Conor is a good boy,” Klopp told RTÉ’s Tony O’Donoghue.
“Very confident, I’m not sure if that’s typical of Ireland, but when I told him this morning that he will be in the squad, he said ‘I’m ready man’, so that’s cool.”
Former Lucan United schoolboy Masterson still has some way to go before establishing himself in senior football, and the reality is that he will probably have to leave the Reds and drop down a level or two to gain first-team experience in the coming years.
However, the signs are encouraging and he was thankful of this latest step in his development.
“The team was unbelievable with the performance — 3-0 against the best side in the country.
“I like to come across confident, it’s a good thing to have,” he replied, when asked about his manager’s comments. “That’s just the way I am, I’m just being myself and I think that’s key to success.
“I have to thank Lucan United and everybody there who got me here.”
Watch the interviews in full below:
– First published 00.09, 5 April
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Conor Masterson Jurgen Klopp One for the future Liverpool Manchester City