Klopp hails "special" Gordon but pinpoints area of game he needs to improve

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has praised youngster Kaide Gordon after scoring his maiden senior goal on Sunday afternoon.

The Reds came from a goal down to hammer Shrewsbury Town 4-1 at Anfield and secure a fourth-round tie against Cardiff.

Gordon, 17, was making just his second appearance for Liverpool and third overall after joining the club from Derby last February.

The England youth international's goal was crucial for Klopp's side, as it got them back on level terms against the League One outfit.

Speaking after the game, Klopp highlighted Gordon's performance but was also keen to keep his feet firmly on the ground.

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"He is a special kid, everyone knows that," the German told reporters. "He is really calm, great finisher. But he can improve he needs to get more involved in the game."

Klopp was without a handful of first-team players for the cup tie, mainly due to positive Covid cases and the Africa Cup of Nations.

Youngsters Gordon, Elijah Dixon-Bonner, Conor Bradley, Tyler Morton and Max Woltman all started against Shrewsbury, while James Norris and Melkamu Frauendorf were introduced from the bench.

"We've trained since Friday pretty much and that is what we decided with this line up," added Klopp. "The boys really fought hard.

"When you get the first goal against you so many things can happen but I liked the way we responded.

"We started with five really young boys. They are really good players. We played so many safe passes in the first half. We knew we could play better football in the second half."

Gordon, a right-winger who likes to cut inside, is one of the Liverpool's best youngsters and will be eyeing-up a Premier League debut in the near future.

"Kaide is a special talent, and it's great to see that he's already doing well and making an impression," Derby's academy director Darren Wassall told Goal last July.

"Everyone here is buzzing for him... not only is he a great kid, but he's a joy to watch as well. He excites you as a player, and those are the kind of people you want to be around as a coach."

Derby manager Wayne Rooney added: "He deserved it [the move to Liverpool]. I brought him up to train for a week to see how he reacted and he was one of the best trainers.

"He's been training at the same level - if not to a better level - than a lot of the other players."

Speaking in September, Liverpool assistant Pepijn Lijnders said: "I went to the under-23s training ground and I saw one player who had fire in each moment that he touches the ball.

"He passes players like they are not standing there. I called Jurgen immediately and said, 'Wow! We have a new player here.'

"We take all these young players to pre-season and when do you know you have a good player around you? It is when the senior players start taking care of this young player.

"So when you see James Milner speaking with Kaide... when you see all the boys invite him to sit at the table, that made it good for him to adapt to our team and our style."