Scouts dispatched: Liverpool have been keeping close tabs on son of ex-Man City forward | OneFootball

Liverpool scouts have reportedly been keeping tabs on the son of a former Manchester City forward whose signing represented a major moment of transition for the latter club.

The Reds have had a number of South American forwards at Anfield over the years, with the likes of Luis Suarez, Bobby Firmino, Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez all making their mark on Merseyside, and they could turn to that part of the world once more for a potential star of the future.

Liverpool scouts have watched Robinho Junior

In his latest Liverpool Confidential column for the Daily Mail, Lewis Steele reported that LFC scout Dassler Marques has been present at numerous fixtures involving Brazilian club Santos to keep watch on teenage prospect Robinho Junior.

The 17-year-old is the son of ex-Man City player Robinho, the first signing of the Abu Dhabi United Group’s ownership at the Etihad Stadium in 2008, and now serving a nine-year prison sentence for rape.

Like his father, the teenager has played alongside Brazilian icon Neymar, who’s one of his teammates at the Sao Paulo-based club and who’s serving as a mentor to the up-and-coming prospect.

Chelsea have also been scouting Robinho Junior, who has a £43m release clause and whose off-field footballing affairs are being handled by his mother.

(Photo by Ricardo Moreira/Getty Images)

Robinho Jr. will hope to make a name for himself in his own right

Robinho senior was an illustrious footballer in his time, scoring 28 times in 100 caps for Brazil and netting more than 230 goals for a host of clubs including Man City, Real Madrid and AC Milan. However, his name will forever be tarnished by the crime of which he’s been convicted.

His son is just starting out on his own professional career, with a mere three substitute appearances for Santos to his name thus far, although he has been a regular in matchday squads with their first team over the past couple of months (Transfermarkt).

As the Brazilian top flight runs on a calendar year basis rather than the August-May timeline of major European leagues, the youngster could have opportunities for further game-time in the months before he turns 18 in December.

Obviously he’d need to accrue far more senior experience before he’d realistically get near the Liverpool first team, but the ever-alert Anfield scouting team must see something in him if they’ve dispatched Marques to multiple Santos games.

The 17-year-old could be one to watch over the coming months, particularly if he’s able to forge a prominent career in his own right rather than merely being noteworthy because of his lineage.