Jeremy Jacquet Impresses as Liverpool Defender

Jeremy Jacquet has barely had time to unpack at Liverpool, but Andoni Iraola already sounds convinced he has a cornerstone for his defence.

The 21-year-old centre-back completed his £60million switch from Rennes in January, only joining up at Anfield at the start of July. By then, he was still working his way back from shoulder surgery that cut short his previous season in February and cost him a sizeable slice of pre-season.

Any concerns about rust have faded quickly.

Jacquet caught the eye in his very first Liverpool appearance, a composed display in the final pre-season friendly against Como, and Iraola has trusted him ever since. The Frenchman has started all four competitive fixtures so far this campaign, a rapid elevation for a player who arrived still short of full sharpness.

The milestones are coming in quick succession.

Jacquet completed his first full 90 minutes for the club in the 2-0 win at Ipswich Town last Friday, then backed it up with another full outing in the midweek Champions League victory over Atletico Madrid.

Iraola likes what he sees, and he likes the trajectory even more.

“I think he had had good performances. He is still building,” the Liverpool boss said, reflecting on Jacquet’s early weeks. “The first games, he couldn’t finish. Against Ipswich, he finished but he was very tired. I was very happy the other night because he finished and he had no issues and was fresh. He finished quite strong.

“He is building his physical condition after a lot of months without playing.

“He is a player that we knew about his qualities. He is confident on the ball, he is aggressive without the ball.

“He is quick and mentality-wise, you can see he is hungry to win things, to play minutes. Obviously I am very happy with him.”

For a defender still edging towards full fitness, starting every competitive game and ending them “quite strong”, as Iraola put it, is a statement in itself. Liverpool paid for potential and personality as much as pedigree; early on, Jacquet is ticking every box.

If this is him still “building”, the question for the rest of the season is simple: how good does he look when he finally hits top gear?