Liverpool braced for ‘courageous’ Rhian Brewster aligned in belief with Sheffield United

The descriptions will have been awfully familiar to Liverpool. “An infectious character,” was the first label Chris Wilder affixed on Rhian Brewster, Sheffield United’s record signing recruited from Anfield for £23.5 million.

“His natural ability and talent is there to be seen by everybody,” the manager continued, underscoring the forward is “at the forefront of our thinking” and has “been bright and bubbly and is definitely in our thoughts to start.”

If he does crack the starting XI for his new club on Saturday, his first full run-out will be with the directive to punish his old one’s defence, diminished by the absence of Virgil van Dijk and Alisson.

Liverpool know Brewster is fully capable of hurting them - Jurgen Klopp called him a “wonderfully skilled boy, real striker, good finisher with fantastic work ethic” - because he was a handful to contain in the shape workouts at Melwood that mimic the upcoming matches.

From his initial contributions at the complex, the Reds boss noted: “He has a lot of respect in the squad, nobody thought, ‘Who is this?' They know him because he is an ugly opponent, a difficult-to-play opponent in training sessions.”

Liverpool’s bigger picture had been to watch Brewster thrive in their colours and it is the easy, myopic route to conclude that he just wasn’t good enough for the champions.

It was the case of right player, wrong time and a set of circumstances - serious injury, being behind that explosive front three, the Merseysiders so quickly morphing into a no-margin-for-error silverware machine - all conspiring against the 20-year-old’s chance there.

A senior staff member from Liverpool’s academy often provides a reminder that it’s not only about how good a player is, but how good the situation is for him to break into the first team and succeed.

Trent Alexander-Arnold is an obvious recent example. A standout midfielder at the Kirkby base, it took three arduous months of conditioning to learn how to be a right-back, which fast-tracked him into Klopp’s plans.

Alex Inglethorpe, the director of Liverpool's Academy and Neil Critchley, who was then in charge of the Under-18s, deduced that change of position would be the best pathway for the Scouser with the club lacking depth and quality at full-back.

An injury to Nathaniel Clyne then opened the door and the 22-year-old has since shattered ceilings and records.

Alexander-Arnold’s situation is the anomaly rather than the norm, with most young players having to move on from one of the English powerhouses to properly carve out a career for themselves.

Conor Coady, anyone? Seven years after leaving Liverpool on loan for Sheffield United, where he impressed before exiting permanently for Huddersfield, he has since become a core part of Wolves’ return to and continued success in the Premier League.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s captain is now being highlighted as the centre-back the champions have to sign - not just in light of Van Dijk’s absence, but to bolster that department for the next few years.

Those who worked with Coady at the academy are relishing his advancement, but are not surprised by it: he had the attitude and tenacity they knew was required for him to crack it at elite level.

Liverpool’s insistence on inserting a buy-back clause into the agreement for Brewster speaks to the same belief.

The kid has all the tools to develop into an explosive force up front, but moreover, he has a courage, determination and surety that belies his age.

“I don’t fear failing because not trying is much worse,” he once told me in an interview.

At 14, despite being in Chelsea’s top-tier of talent, he departed London because he did not see any academy prospects making it.

If it wasn’t for his rehabilitation from serious knee and ankle injury, Brewster could have been turning out for Borussia Monchengladbach or another Bundesliga side instead of signing a new contract with Liverpool that ensured the best treatment to help condition him for the rigours of top-flight football.

He was not scared of moving from Chelsea, nor apprehensive about a switch out of Liverpool. It is not about status or hype or money as was also proven during his loan with Swansea: Brewster is certain a very good career awaits him if he works for it and Sheffield United are giving him the platform to do that.

“His courage needs to be applauded and recognised,” Wilder said.

“I spoke about ‘toilet-bag footballers’ last week. You are not looking in that toilet bag and seeing there is two, three or 400 league appearances.

“You are looking in and there’s some aftershave worth about four-hundred quid, deodorant and teeth-whitening toothpaste... Rhian wants to put two, three and four hundred Premier League appearances in.

“He wanted to go out and play football at Swansea. It is not just him, but the other young boys who have moved abroad. They have taken ownership of their careers, but some don’t and allow other people to.

“Rhian has and it speaks volumes about his mentality and what he wants to do and not what others want him to do.”

Saturday will be an important occasion for Brewster, but it will not be a defining one. The clubs will be in opposition on Saturday, but both Liverpool and United are aligned by their conviction that a long, brilliant career is in the offing for the forward.