Half-and-half scarves are generally frowned upon by football fans but one family from Morpeth might have good reason to invest in some when Liverpool play Newcastle in next month’s Carabao Cup final.
That is the family of young Reds midfielder, James McConnell, the Geordie boy who could be the next cab off the rank from Liverpool’s illustrious academy. His tight-knit family, including his twin siblings, are lifelong Newcastle fans.
Triplet McConnell, 20, is the hot prospect once described by Jurgen Klopp as ‘absolutely insane’. Arne Slot namechecked him recently as one he will ‘absolutely not’ allow to leave on loan before last week’s January deadline. He had been taken aback by just how good he is.
Those who attend Slot’s Friday audiences every week will testify that this was a break from tradition, the Dutchman is rarely one to single out individuals for praise. ‘It is not about him, it is the team,’ comes the standard response when asked about a player.
Whether Mohamed Salah has just broken another record, young Conor Bradley has marked Kylian Mbappe out of the game or Darwin Nunez has scored a last-minute winner, for Slot it is never about the individual but the group.
With this in mind, it was a pleasant surprise to see the lengths in which the Liverpool boss went to wax lyrical about James McConnell in Eindhoven last week. Calling it a rave review would be an understatement.
Arne Slot rarely praises individuals but he made an exception for James McConnell
Slot made it clear that he wouldn’t let the hugely talented McConnell go on loan in January
McConnell’s tight-knit family are fans of Newcastle, Liverpool’s Carabao Cup final opponents
Mail Sport’s question was not even about McConnell specifically but the young lads in general — including Jayden Danns, Trey Nyoni and Tyler Morton — who put in a good shift despite losing 3-2 to Dutch league leaders PSV. It was about whether any would go out on loan.
Slot’s answer was emphatic: McConnell is here to stay. ‘There is definitely one that will not go out on loan and I think you know who it is,’ said the boss. ‘James. I liked him a lot today. He is always very competitive. James just plays.’
Despite being baby-faced and diminutive in physique, McConnell always steps up, regardless of level. He played for the first team before he had featured for the Under 21s, for example, and excelled on his Champions League bow against players with years of experience on him.
Though McConnell is a boyhood Newcastle fan, he has their bitter rivals Sunderland to thank for his rise. He was spotted by the Black Cats when playing for Cramlington Juniors in Northumberland, picked up at Under 10 level.
That is quite late for boys in the north east. Due to the three-way scramble for young talent between Newcastle, Sunderland and Middlesbrough, players are usually invited to trial much younger and in most cases signed by age eight.
But McConnell was eventually signed up from grassroots and originally played as a wide player. At Liverpool he has predominantly played as a No 10 in the academy. Since he has broken into the first team, he has been a deep-lying No 6. Talk about versatility.
The move to the heart of midfield was thanks to Klopp and his right-hand man Pepijn Lijnders, who saw something in McConnell’s passing, dribbling to break lines and tenacity that suggested he could prosper there. Aside from a few frustrating injuries, he has barely looked back since.
Those injuries are the only worry to note in terms of profiling the player, who would have been given chances on the summer tour of America but an ankle issue – not helped by the long-haul travel – put paid to that, leaving him playing catch-up in terms of impressing new boss Slot.
McConnell is set to get some minutes against Plymouth in the FA Cup this weekend
The highly rated McConnell was once described by Jurgen Klopp as ‘absolutely insane’
But even when he has been out injured in recent years, those at the academy have talked him up. Academy director Alex Inglethorpe is believed to have labelled McConnell the ‘dark horse’ of his age-group, one that first-team coaches may ask, ‘where have you been hiding him?’.
After returning to fitness after his ankle worries, McConnell was all set to leave on loan in January. Wycombe, the League One high-flyers, were very hot on him, as were Derby and Swansea in the Championship. Loan manager Matt Newberry was ready to sanction the deal.
Then came the curveball from Slot, name-checking him after a stellar showing against PSV Eindhoven. Meetings took place in the days after that to decide what was best and the conclusion was that McConnell was to stay put.
The player was open-minded to a move and was eager to go and play regular first-team football. McConnell asked Slot if he would be closer to the manager’s plans in the summer if he were to get 15 or so games under his belt in the Championship. No, came the answer.
Slot instead told the 20-year-old that he did not care if McConnell had played 50 games in the Championship between now and May, he trusts him – not for the future but now. He is set to get some minutes – perhaps from the start – against Plymouth in the FA Cup this weekend.
In the next year, the realistic target for McConnell is to challenge the likes of Wataru Endo as the natural deputy if one of the deeper-lying midfielders was rotated or unavailable. Tyler Morton is likely to leave in the summer, Stefan Bajcetic’s future is unclear after his loan at Las Palmas.
McConnell’s rise is another show of Liverpool’s recruitment drive to poach talented youngsters in their mid-teens. Caoimhin Kelleher and Conor Bradley were both signed at 16, prodigies Trey Nyoni and Rio Ngumoha – who may also feature on Sunday – similar.
He was spotted by scouts as a 14-year-old and was invited by Liverpool to play in the MIC Cup, a youth tournament. It was not a trial but more of a guest appearance alongside Harrison Jones who remained at Sunderland and is now on the verge of their first team.
In the next year McConnell will look to challenge Wataru Endo for a place in the squad
Alex Inglethorpe is believed to have labelled McConnell the ‘dark horse’ of his age-group
McConnell flourished in that tournament and made the decision to move to the Anfield club, which was a significant step out of his comfort zone. As a triplet, it was probably tough to leave his siblings and parents – his mother works in the NHS and father in the fire service.
The timing was good because the school McConnell was placed in happened to be just down the road from some family friends, who gave a home to the young star. He is still living there with ‘host parents’ and is described as a level-headed young man.
Given Slot’s public backing of the player, it would not be a surprise if a new contract was on the table before long despite the fact he only signed his latest deal 13 months ago. He is said to be a great trainer and a well-liked presence around the building.
‘What I see is him on the training pitch competing with all our midfielders,’ said Slot on Friday. ‘He always gives everything he has.’
At 20, there will be bumps in the road for McConnell and, going off what people say about him, he knows he has not ‘made it’ yet.
But he has been backed to the hilt and handed a golden opportunity by Slot to prove his worth. He might not feature every week like he could out on loan but, when he looks back in 10 years, just playing a role as supporting cast to Liverpool’s bid for trophies could be more memorable.
