Liverpool football club has witnessed immense changes in their approach— tactics, mentality, rhythm and a sense of community. The firebrand style of football that Klopp champions has rendered them the capacity to bottle down their rivals as in their latest encounter against Man City. Such atmosphere of brewing confidence and belief is conducive to the growth of young talents and it is of no surprise that academy graduate like Trent Alexander Arnold is marking his presence in world football. In this light, I shall bring to notice the young prodigy in Ki-Jana Hoever, who promises to follow the likes of TAA and provide The Reds with a secure future.
Ki-Jana Hoever, a 17 year-old, Dutch footballer currently playing for Liverpool FC and the Dutch U-17 side in the ongoing U-17 World Cup in Brazil, certainly demands to be noticed, given his exceptional growth and potential. He was born on 18 January 2002, began his youth career from AZ Alkmaar and moved to Ajax in 2014, where he emerged as a promising prospect and found himself under the radar of many elite clubs. Liverpool’s chief scout Barry Hunter scouted him for a year and in August 2018, managed to lure him away with minimal compensation to Ajax as Hoever, due to his age was ineligible to sign a pro-contract then, with Ajax.
With Liverpool’s defence lacking cover to the likes of Van Dijk and Matip, and Lovren on the cusp of switching sides, Joe Gomez alone remains as an option. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that Klopp like always, is keen on investing in the youth and this is where Hoever comes in. He can play both as a right-back and a centre-back, is grounded, calm and composed with the ball on his feet and promises to become an intelligent modern defender with great pace, like the big man himself, Virgil Van Dijk.
In the tender age of 17, when most young lads play as Alex Hunter in FIFA, Hoever is already playing himself in the top level. He has hitherto bagged numerous appearances for the Liverpool U-18s and U-23s, and has also managed two appearances for the senior side. On 7 January 2019 he made his debut against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux Stadium in the FA Cup, marking him as the youngest Liverpool player ever to participate in the competition.
Hoever scored his first goal for Liverpool on 25 September 2019 against M.K. Dons in the EFL Cup. He already has two championships under his belt in the U-17 European Championship 2019 and the UEFA Super Cup 2019. Furthermore, on 31 July 2019 he penned down a long-term contract with Liverpool and at present, has galvanised his national side to the semi-final stage of the U-17 world cup.
Therefore, the rise and the trajectory apparent of Hoever’s success is conspicuous and noteworthy. A promising player in him, promises a safe future for The Reds to look forward to. Liverpool has many youngsters with the potential to assert themselves in the elite level— with TAA already up there, the likes of Rhian Brewster, Harvey Elliott, Ben Woodburn, Curtis Jones, Sepp Van Den Berg and Hoever, all show promise to safeguard the club’s future.
