Who is Shadrach Ekiugbo? Liverpool's exciting centre-back sensation

Yahoo

4 days ago

It's time to introduce the next generation at Liverpool and chiefly among them Shadrach Ekiugbo.
We've written about the exciting up and coming talent at the academy. The likes of Joshua Abe and Erik Farkas are both U16 players, but they have been promoted to the U18s this summer to continue their development at a higher level.
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Behind them in the same age group is the talented Vincent Joseph, who has been catching the eye not just for Liverpool but for Germany's U15 and U16 side as well.
Because of his eligibility for England and Germany, Joseph has been likened to Jamal Musiala. An attacking midfielder, who can make really intelligent runs into the box and score goals, he too, just like Abe and Farkas are worth keeping an eye on.
The other player who should be on fans' radar is Ekiugbo.
Recently, Liverpool's U16 side travelled to Tokyo, at the same time as the first team. They travelled to play two exhibition matches against the J.League select.
Liverpool lost both games (1-0 and 2-0) but there were some promising individual performances. Among the stand-out performers in both games was Ekiugbo.
He's a different player to Joseph, Farkas and Abe. Primarily because he is not an attacker but a defender. What stood out about him in the games against the J.League select is his reading of the game and how cool and composed he was.
On top of that, he was brilliant on the ball, sending through balls and long passes that broke opposition lines. Ekiugbo was always looking to play the ball forward and instigate attacks.
So, it's clear that he's a promising defender. And one name to keep an eye on. It's also important to note that he's been at the academy for a long time.
He signed his first contract with the club as an U9 player, just like Abe and Joseph. As per the club's official website, Trent Alexander-Arnold was present on that special day.
Ekiugbo has progressed through the ranks impressively ever since. He's now also an England U15 international, making his debut earlier this year against Turkey.
In the two games, Ekiugbo caught the eye on both occasions. He played one half in each game and won four out of his six duels, winning eight out of 12 duels in total over the course of just over 90 minutes.
He also won two out of three aerial duels and showcased his passing ability completing 45 of his 53 attempted passes and completing two out of three dribble attempts, which are impressive numbers for a centre-back in just 90 minutes.
The next step for Ekiugbo is to break into the U18 side and earn that promotion just like Abe and Farkas have. He's got every chance if he continues to perform like he did at international level and in Tokyo.