Does giving Jayden Danns the moniker of the next Harry Kane pile unnecessary pressure onto his shoulders?
I considered this before writing the headline, but this is a young lad who’s just come on in front of 90,000 fans at Wembley and thrived in the situation. Danns is a kid who’s bagged a brace on his Anfield debut with two of the calmest finishes you’ll see all season….
I reckon he quite likes the pressure, actually.
And besides, I’m not the only one saying it!
The son of former Crystal Palace midfielder Neil Danns was practically unknown just a few weeks ago, but he’s the latest Academy Graduate to announce himself loudly and brashly.
Already this term, Jarrell Quansah and Conor Bradley have become first-team footballers, with Bobby Clark and James McConnell increasingly trusted by Jurgen Klopp in midfield.
Quansah has been quietly exceptional. He’s strong, positionally aware and is composed on the ball like Virgil van Dijk, his mentor. Bradley is our right-footed Andy Robertson. Feisty and quick with lethal end product.
There’s always something slightly more exciting about a youngster coming through when they’re an attacker, though, rightly or wrongly.
And Danns is just that. A Scouser who’s just turned 18, with two goals versus Southampton, a very-nearly-assist against Luton and a League Cup win over Chelsea to his name; having played just over an hour of professional football so far.
Most of the time when a player gets compared to someone who went before him, it’s fairly lazy analysis. Any Argentine under the height of 6ft’ is compared to Messi and Maradona before they turn 20. Bruno Cheyrou was dubbed the next Zinedine Zidane, remember.
But with Danns, the resemblance is uncanny. He runs like Harry Kane. They have the same gait and are faster than they actually look. They sprint powerfully over a few metres and show superb anticipation to where balls will drop. Danns is a no.9 who likes to drop deep and link-up play, too. His finishing is clearly a strong point, with over 20 goals for our youth sides this season, adding to his Anfield FA Cup brace.
His first goal last night showed composure and technical proficiency; chipping the ball over the onrushing keeper without having to even look. Darwin Nunez would have scored 40 goals this season if he had that one in his locker. (The ridiculous scoop versus Brentford is not repeatable and shouldn’t count as evidence of better finishing!)
Danns’ second last night is just as impressive. He shows great awareness and striker’s instincts to get ahead of the defender and slams home with a powerful instep finish. Without wanting to ram the point home too much, it’s exactly how Kane would have taken both goals.
In all three appearances he’s earned himself headed chances in the box, too. This isn’t a fluke. It’s great movement and the timing of his leaps have been great. A real no.9 can score aerially or from the floor.
You can see the stylistic similarities in this video below, showing some of Danns’ youth goals this season. Squint and it’s Kane…
Unlike the England captain, Danns already has a trophy to his name, of course – and hopefully will add to it this season.
Now, the job for Danns is more minutes and to keep knocking on Klopp’s door for opportunities. I’m pretty sure he’ll feature against Sparta Prague in the Europa League and I cannot wait to see him again. Then, he has to impress a new manager in the summer. One of the saddest things about Klopp leaving is that he won’t see the journey of these Academy lads, but he’ll always be the boss who was brave enough to give them their start.
At the beginning of the season I was convinced Liverpool needed a new right-back, centre-back, holding midfielder and another winger – even after the transfer window shut.
Bradley and Quansah are our new defenders though, and the collection of Clark, McConnell and even the prodigal Trey Nyoni provide enough depth in the middle, even with the most ridiculous of injury crises. Danns is the wildcard. Nobody was even touting him at Christmas so to have an exciting finisher coming through the ranks – someone who can learn off our already world-class attackers – is brilliant.
Perhaps Klopp will see what he has to offer versus Nottingham Forest on Saturday.