Liverpool youngster Jayden Danns has named the biggest personality in the Anfield dressing room since he joined up with the first team earlier this season.
The 18-year-old striker, who is son of former Premier League midfielder Neil Danns, has dazzled since being promoted to the senior setup, and has already won a Carabao Cup with the Reds.
The boyhood Liverpool fan and local lad scored a wonderful brace to open his Anfield account in the FA Cup against Southampton back in late February, and he has shown incredible promise at such a young age during a handful of cameos.
Danns is fortunate to have teamed up with some of the world’s best players on Merseyside, including the likes of Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Alisson, with the teenager having recently opened up on his experience over the past few months.
Speaking to Liverpoolfc.com, Danns revealed that centre-back Ibrahima Konate is the biggest character in the first-team squad due to his “bubbly” nature.
“To be fair, all of them [the squad] have been brilliant to me,” he said. “I mean, they’ve been really welcoming, but I’d say Ibou [Konate] has probably been the biggest one.
“He’s so bubbly as a character, you can’t describe him as a personality, you go up there and he is like: ‘Dannsy!’
“It’s mental, to be honest, and I’m looking at him still thinking he’s like a film character because I’ve watched him all these years! When he’s putting his arm around you, you just feel at home.”
Danns added: “The whole squad is inspirational, to be honest. I’m coming into a squad that is up there contending for the league and they’ve won big things, so all these players I just try to soak in as much as I can and absorb all the information.
“They’ve all got brilliant things to give you and as a youngster, there’s nothing more you can ask for, really, to be coming into top players and them giving you advice.
“You look at Salah and how professional he is and yeah, it’s just brilliant, to be honest.”
The young attacker also opened up on his relationship with Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, admitting that the German is the “perfect role model” in his eyes.
“To be honest, every time I’ve spoken with the boss he’s just been really encouraging and he’s probably the perfect role model,” said Danns.
“As a manager, personally I think he is the best manager in the world and when you look at him you’re a bit starstruck and he’s got this aura around him.
“So, yeah, every time you speak with him it’s meaningful and his biggest message is probably to just work hard and even Pep [Lijnders], he has been a big influence in me as well and his message was to work hard and do the same thing as well.”
Danns will be hopeful of making some more positive impressions between now and the end of the season, with Liverpool fortunate to have such an exciting and humble attacking talent coming through the academy.
