Liverpool boss Klopp delighted over Williams extension

Football
18 Aug 2020 • 6:23 AM MYT
Tribal Football
Tribal Football

Tribal Football covers news from the Premier League, LaLiga and Serie A

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is delighted about Neco Williams' new long-term contract extension.

The 19-year-old, who made six Premier League appearances this season, has signed a five-year deal with the Reds.

And Klopp says the Welshman will continue to provide back-up for star right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold.

"Great news. Great news for him, great news for us," Klopp told the club's website.

"I think Neco is – how young players are – they are kind of 'projects'. I don't want to use that word, but with my English I don't have a better one. There is a lot of work to do, but there is already a lot of skills and potential there and that makes it so exciting.

"Neco from the first day he trained with us, he trained like a machine. Every day he became better and better and better and I thought, 'OK, what's that?!' Unfortunately then, in the moment he started playing for us, I saw it, he got a little physical knock, like it was always really intense all of the time. But then he had to play.

"The last game of the season against Newcastle is a really good example – first half, struggled slightly, [but] second half he was there.

"That's exactly him in the moment and there is so much positivity about this kid that I am really happy we have him here. That's very important for me because he is our boy and it is the perfect place for him in the moment because we don't rush his career.

"We want to prepare him for his career, yes, and in his position in which he will probably play, there is a really, really good player in that position. But Trent cannot – and should not and never did – play 500 games a season, so we need to have options there. Neco is as close as possible for his age group.

"He has a lot of things that we really like, so I am really, really happy that he signed this contract."