Jay Spearing: One thing Arne Slot did this week will mean the world to Liverpool ‘colossus’ | OneFootball

Jay Spearing has praised the ‘outstanding’ mentality of teenage Liverpool defender Amara Nallo and welcomed Arne Slot’s decision to bring him on against Qarabag in midweek.

Prior to Wednesday night, the 19-year-old had the unenviable distinction of being sent off in both of his senior appearances to date, against PSV Eindhoven just over a year ago and Crystal Palace in October.

However, he came off the bench for the final quarter-hour on Wednesday night and came through it serenely, with the Liverpool Echo‘s Ian Doyle describing that cameo as an ‘important step in his career’.

LFC under-21 coach Spearing has worked closely with Nallo in the academy, and he was keen to praise the youngster for overcoming the adversity of those red cards and earning the trust of Slot to feature in the Champions League for a second time.

Spearing praises Nallo’s ‘outstanding’ mentality

Speaking on The Official Liverpool FC Podcast, the 37-year-old said: “To be very unfortunate to be sent off on both occasions, mentally it can really damage you going forward. It can knock your confidence; it can make you think you’re not good enough.

“One thing about Amara is that he’s been outstanding in his mentality off the field and on the field since he’s been back around the under-21s and going to train with the first team. He’s taken it in his stride.

(Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)

“He knows the mistakes he has made, he can’t do anything about them and now he’s looking forward. Probably within the last two months for us, he’s been a real colossus in our under-21s’ performances, and that earnt him the right to go and train with the first team again.

“It’s all come around in a full circle to get another opportunity with the first team and the trust of the manager. The manager didn’t have to put him on with 20 minutes to go and move Ryan [Gravenberch] into midfield because we were comfortable and Ryan was comfortable at centre-back, but the manager gave him an opportunity and it’ll give him a hell of a confidence [boost].”

Nallo took a big step forward in midweek

When Liverpool signed Nallo from West Ham’s academy in 2023, Irons under-16 coach Carlton Cole hailed him as a ‘Rolls-Royce of a centre-back’ and a young talent with a ‘very high ceiling’.

The 19-year-old was exceptionally unlucky to suffer the fate of two red cards in his first two senior appearances, and he was visibly distraught after the second of those against Palace earlier this season, with senior centre-backs Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate immediately consoling him.

(Photo by Molly Darlington/Getty Images)

Those experiences could’ve broken him mentally, but as Spearing’s firsthand testimony shows, the teenager has put it behind him to perform sufficiently well for the under-21s to earn another first-team outing in midweek.

Yes, he may have only come on when Liverpool were 5-0 up and safely through to the last 16 in Europe, but that final quarter-hour of the Qarabag game will mean the world to Nallo, who didn’t put a foot wrong during his time on the pitch in midweek.

Further first-team action this season could be difficult to come by for the young centre-back, and The Athletic has mentioned the possibility of him going out on loan for the next few months if a suitable offer is made.

Should that transpire, the opportunity to gain more regular senior exposure ought to help the youngster’s development even more as he seeks to ultimately become a mainstay at Anfield.

You can watch Slot’s full post-Qarabag press conference below, via Empire of the Kop on YouTube: