Liverpool coach Andoni Iraola has backed Trey Nyoni to continue developing after the Zimbabwean youngster impressed on his first start in the UEFA Champions League.

The 19-year-old featured for 85 minutes in Liverpool’s 6-3 victory over LASK Linz on Wednesday, with Iraola impressed by his maturity and understanding of the game despite his limited experience at senior level.

Speaking on Liverpool website, the coach highlighted Nyoni’s tactical intelligence and ability to read different situations on the pitch.

“Trey is a player that I think, being very young with not a lot of minutes in the first team, he’s very mature,” said Iraola.

“He understands the situations very well, he understands the game very well. Tactically, I think he’s really smart.

“But he has to continue doing the steps in the right direction. I’m confident with him.

“He has been involved, I think, in most of the last games, but he has to keep this level of performance, of training,” he added.

The coach also challenged the youngster to remain ready for different responsibilities, whether playing as a defensive midfielder or in a more advanced role, coming off the bench or starting a full match.

“If he has to play as a six, as an eight, he has to play one minute, he doesn’t have to play, he has to start and play all the game like yesterday – he has to be there, putting pressure also on the other midfielders,” Iraola said.