Liverpool Hail Nigerian Messi After Sparkling Display Against TNS

Liverpool were delighted with the performance of Nigerian-born winger Bobby Adekanye despite their U23 team losing 1-0 to Welsh Premier League champions TNS in a training match at the Kirkby Academy on Friday.

The Netherlands youth international was one of the four Reds youngsters that played the entire match, the others being Grabara, Whelan and Brannagan.

In their match report, the Anfield club wrote : ''Dutch winger Bobby Adekanye went close in the first half with a curled effort that came back off the post and Cameron Brannagan fired a shot straight at the goalkeeper from close range.

''Adekanye had some lively moments on the right flank and Brewster dragged a decent opening wide of the target, but a late goal on the counter-attack saw the Welsh side claim the victory.''

Last month, the former Barcelona wonderkid scored twice as the U23s beat MTK Budapest 5-2 in their pre-season tour of Hungary.

The 18-year-old Adekanye joined Liverpool from PSV in the summer of 2015.

Ifeanyi Emmanuel