OPINION
Michael Owen has claimed that he is looking forward to seeing Rhian Brewster in a Liverpool shirt, and has suggested that he could have a long career with the Reds.
Brewster has yet to make his first team bow for Liverpool, but could do so against MK Dons on Wednesday night, and Owen has been quick to hype up the youngster.
Speaking to BetVictor, he said: “Rhian Brewster is likely to make his debut for Liverpool against the Dons and I am looking forward to seeing the striker’s first appearance in a red shirt.
“It won’t be his last.”
Owen knows a thing or two about being a precocious striker, and the fact that he is getting behind Brewster in this way should have Liverpool fans salivating.
In some respects, the teenage striker is a strange case study.
After winning the golden boot at the U17 World Cup back in 2017, it has been widely recognised that the starlet is one of the brightest prospects in English football, and he has garnered a whole host of glittering endorsements in the period since.
Steven Gerrard, for instance, is in no doubt about how far he can go.
Speaking to the Liverpool Echo, he said: “We all know he has got the talent and the ability.
“If Rhian wants to go far and stay at the top, if he can put in that work rate and relentless running, that’s how he’s going to get the better of most defenders.”
Similarly, former Reds midfielder Jason McAteer has even gone as far as to liken the 19-year-old to club legends Ian Rush and Robbie Fowler, as per Sky Sports.
Arguably, however, Owen’s endorsement should mean the most out of all of them.
The ex-England international followed a similar path to Brewster through the Reds’ youth ranks, and even went on to win a Ballon d’Or during his time at Anfield.
If Brewster could get anywhere near that level then the Kop would obviously be delighted, and Owen’s latest comments may be the clearest indication yet that he is capable of doing so.