Iraola Praises Hungry Jacquet as £60m Defender Finds Form at Liverpool

Andoni Iraola insists Jeremy Jacquet is only just getting started at Liverpool – and says the young centre-back is already showing exactly why the club pushed through a £60million deal.

Jacquet officially arrived at Anfield at the start of July after his move from Rennes was agreed in January, but his first weeks on Merseyside were anything but smooth. Shoulder surgery in February wrecked the end of his previous season and cost him a sizeable chunk of pre-season with his new club.

Any fears about rust have vanished quickly.

Thrown in for his first taste of Liverpool action in the final pre-season friendly against Como, the 21-year-old impressed immediately and has not looked back. He has started all four competitive fixtures so far this campaign, a rapid elevation for a defender still adjusting to a new league, a new coach and a new level of scrutiny.

The minutes are climbing – and so is Iraola’s satisfaction.

Jacquet completed his first full 90 minutes in the 2-0 win at Ipswich Town last Friday, then backed it up with another full game in the Champions League victory over Atletico Madrid in midweek. For a player coming off a long lay-off, those back-to-back outings felt like a milestone.

“I think he had had good performances. He is still building,” Iraola said, underlining that Liverpool are yet to see the defender at peak sharpness.

“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.”

The physical side is catching up. The talent, Iraola stressed, was never in doubt.

“He is a player that we knew about his qualities. He is confident on the ball, he is aggressive without the ball,” the Liverpool boss said, neatly summing up the profile that attracted the club in the first place.

“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.”

Four games in, Jacquet already looks like he belongs. Iraola’s message is clear: this is only the foundation.