Arne Slot believes Jarell Quansah is no longer just a “talent” for Liverpool, and has credited a “big moment” at the start of the season for his mental growth.
Quansah will cap a huge week for his career on Sunday when he starts against Newcastle in the final of the Carabao Cup.
It comes due to injuries to Trent Alexander-Arnold and Conor Bradley, and follows an impressive substitute appearance against PSG in the Champions League and, on Friday, a call-up to Thomas Tuchel’s first England squad.
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After being substituted at half-time in Slot’s first competitive game in charge there had been fears Quansah would fall by the wayside.
But the head coach feels the situation his No. 78 is now in shows that he had not simply been made an example of, and that dealing with that setback at Ipswich means he has “outgrown” the youngster tag to become a senior player.
“It says a lot about his mentality,” Slot told reporters on Friday.
“So last season I think everybody saw what a talent he is. Then the season started with him starting and I changed him as we all know against Ipswich.
“And Ibou and Virgil were and are such a strong combination that he didn’t play a lot [after that], but every time he had to play, except maybe for the first one or two games, everybody could see that maybe he’s no longer a ‘talent’.
“Because as a talent, you don’t have any setbacks. But the moment you get setbacks, it’s about how you react.
“I think he showed in his recent performances that he’s outgrown being called a talent and that’s probably what Thomas Tuchel saw and sees as well by calling him up.”
Quansah will start against Newcastle on Sunday away from his natural position, playing instead as a right-back, with Slot insisting he has a lot to offer in that role.
“He did really well the last few times he had to play for us, even in a position he’s not completely used to as a right full-back,” he continued.
“In my opinion he also has the qualities to play in that position. He’s strong, he’s fast, he’s very comfortable with the ball.
“And it gives us an extra quality if we play him, as we saw [against PSG], in terms of set-pieces – because he was the one that was this far away from us qualifying for the next round, by heading the ball on the post.
“He showed mentality, and that he had quality is what we already knew when we saw him playing last season.”
Questioned further on Quansah’s experience after being hauled off at Portman Road, Slot argued that it could have been a formative experience for the 22-year-old.
“If being substituted at half-time is a setback then almost every player has more than a few setbacks during his career,” Slot said.
“I think it was more that people were a bit like ‘ooh’, with what I said after the game, people were not used to maybe a manager or me being so clear about what I say and what I did.
“That in the end probably went to a situation where he got criticised more than was normal for a player who was taken off at half-time.
“Again, it’s so good to see that he managed his way back into it.
“Now already before the winter break he already had a few good moments as well, and every time we now need him he does really well.
“So I think mentality-wise it might – might – have been a good or a big moment for him, that Ipswich game.
“Because now he experienced that people were not only positive about him like last season – although he made one or two mistakes back then as well.
“He also knows now that he can fight his way back if people are all of a sudden not as positive anymore.
“That is something I think every player should experience at the start of his career, because a football career is never only going up, it’s always going [up and down].
“Now he knows he can fight back also after the situation he experienced at Ipswich, or after the Ipswich game.”
