“Really good” 19-year-old “ready for next step” in Liverpool career – Liverpool FC

After finally returning to regular football, talented 19-year-old Kaide Gordon is “ready for the next step” in his Liverpool career.

After breaking into the first team and even starting in Arsenal’s 2022 League Cup semi-final, Gordon was hit by an 18-month injury lay-off due to a series of musculoskeletal problems.

His persistence has been rewarded with a new long-term deal, signed in May, and under-21 coach Barry Lewtas believes he is ready for the “next step” in his career.

Addressing the press, including Liverpool EchoIan Doyle, Lewtas said: “Kaide is ready for the next step and the next challenge.

“This season was part of his reintegration into the game. He needed an opportunity to play and find a rhythm in training every day.

“Slowly but surely, it wasn’t just about putting together individual training sessions, we were able to go from week to week where he was regularly playing games.”

Gordon finally returned to action in September for the under-21s and it wasn’t long before Jurgen Klopp included him in the first team, eventually starting at winger against Union SG in the Europa League.

“For someone who had the injuries that he had, building confidence in his body was what was really important,” Lewtas continued.

“Obviously he’s not going to lose the ability he had before, it’s always going to be there.

“It was a case of him having the opportunity to train and play and his performances for us have been really good and his consistency has improved as you would expect.”

Former manager Klopp also praised the forward, explaining how Gordon’s development has been a double-edged sword.

In December, the manager said: “From the first day in training, we all realized straight away, ‘ah, that’s what we’ve been missing, we already had that’.”

“So nothing happened really, still a fantastic player, still incredibly young and now he’s back in the first team.”

With Arne Slott now taking over as boss, it’s a new chance for some players, but another challenge for others as they have to try to impress the new face.

Once seen as a potential long-term replacement for Mo Salah, Gordon’s progress has been far from linear, but now he’s finally back on track.