Jarell Quansah has spoken of how a ‘crazy experience’ just under a year ago ultimately proved helpful with his subsequent graduation into the Liverpool first team.
Following a loan spell at Bristol Rovers, the defender was included in the England squad for the Under-20 World Cup in Argentina last May.
In an interview with the Liverpool Echo, the 21-year-old said that the experience of playing in front of a ‘hostile’ crowd against Uruguay stood to him when it came to getting his big break at Anfield.
Quansah reflected: “This season I’ve played in a lot of big games and big stadiums, but honestly, that was definitely up there with the most hostile I’ve ever seen.
“There were no England fans and 55,000 Argentinians screaming and Uruguayans screaming. That was a crazy experience. Looking back, it probably helped me this season.”
Considering the ease with which Quansah has made the leap from academy hopeful to first-team regular in the space of eight months at Liverpool, that Under-20 World Cup must’ve done him the world of good.
The centre-back has been entrusted with appearances at the likes of Wembley, the Emirates Stadium and Old Trafford this season, although his most recent visit to the latter saw him punished for a rare error when his slack pass inadvertently set up Bruno Fernandes’ equaliser.
While youth tournaments mightn’t command a great deal of attention in a wider sphere, they clearly provide up-and-coming players with invaluable experience of high-stakes matches, sometimes at imposing stadia.
That aberration against Manchester United aside, Quansah has been magnificent in his debut season with Liverpool’s first team, and the foundations are in place for him to go on and thrive under Arne Slot.
This time last year he was gearing up to play for England’s under-20s in a World Cup. Who’s to say he won’t do likewise at senior level further down the line?
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