Long-time Liverpool target Jeremy Doku has been defended by his teammate Hamari Traore after enduring a difficult start to life at his new club Rennes.
Reds manager Jurgen Klopp has been touted as an admirer of the teenager and Liverpool were at one stage reportedly doing everything in their power to land the youngster.
Belgian publication Het Laatste Nieuws believe Klopp remains interested in the winger and, as such, Liverpool are keeping a close eye on his development as they consider renewing their interest down the line.
Doku joined Rennes from Anderlecht in October after the 18-year-old Belgian was widely expected to take the plunge in signing for an elite club over the summer.
Instead, the talented winger, who already has one senior international goal, made the stepping stone up to Ligue 1, where he has struggled to get going having made a flying start to the 2020/21 campaign while with his former employers.
After receiving some criticism, his teammate has leapt to his defence this week when speaking to Foot Mercato.
Traore remarked: “He has crazy potential. He has enormous room for improvement, we haven’t had a lot of training between the sequence of matches. I think he’s trying to figure out how to play, how he can combine with me.
“He’s a young man. We must not forget that he has just arrived (at Rennes). It takes time to adapt. It will come. I know we will make a good double-act and we will bring danger to the side.”
The French club paid £23.4m for Doku, slightly above his current market value according to Transfermarkt.
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Any immediate need for new wingers at Anfield was quelled by the arrival and impact of Diogo Jota.
However, as much as it pains us all to think about it, Sadio Mane will stop being so brilliant eventually. Therefore, earmarking a teenager who has the credentials to be a successor to the Senegal star one day makes perfect sense.
Clearly his step-up hasn’t gone to plan to date, but sometimes it can take time for youngsters to adapt to new surroundings, and they can prosper when given the leeway to be allowed to do so.
