Liverpool central defender Jeremy Jacquet is closing in on his long-awaited debut as he nears full fitness following a frustrating shoulder injury.
The 21-year-old French defender finally arrived on Merseyside after a £60m transfer agreed with Rennes back in February.
However, a shoulder injury sustained in France delayed his participation in the recent pre-season tour of North America.
Medical staff at the AXA Training Centre have carefully managed his recovery over recent weeks, with the defender now participating in tactical drills alongside his new teammates.
Andoni Iraola is keen to assess the young Frenchman alongside Virgil van Dijk in the upcoming friendly matches against Monaco and Como at Anfield.
Defending set-pieces proved a major weakness for Liverpool last season, with the team conceding 20 goals from dead-ball situations during a difficult campaign.
Iraola believes Jacquet possesses the exact physical profile needed to address those structural vulnerabilities.
“Jeremy is a young player with immense potential and physical presence,” said the head coach.
“We have to be sensible with his recovery timeline because he missed competitive match rhythm, but he is working extremely hard every day.
“We want him fully comfortable with our defensive organization before the league action starts.”
Jacquet forms part of an ambitious recruitment strategy that saw Liverpool secure five promising central defenders aged 20 or under over the past year.
With senior figures moving on, he has a clear pathway to establish himself as a regular starter in the Premier League this season.
Fans attending the weekend fixture against Monaco at Anfield will be eager to catch their first glimpse of Jacquet in action, although it is a lot more likely that he will start on the bench and hopefully get a few minutes towards the end of the game.
