Liverpool legend Ronnie Whelan has explained that he was impressed with Pedro Chirivella’s display in the 2-1 loss to West Ham United in an FA Cup replay last night.
The holding midfielder played over 100 minutes in the contest at Upton Park and gave a good account of himself before he was taken off in favour of the more experienced James Milner.
It was Chirivella’s first senior start for Liverpool since joining the Reds’ academy from Valencia in 2013.
And Whelan, who felt the Spaniard put in a very smooth display against West Ham, lauded the 18-year-old’s ability to control a game from midfield despite being an inexperienced youngster.
“Chirivella, 18 years of age, you throw him into the centre of midfield”, he said on LFC TV, assessing the West Ham game.
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“And it's like he's cruising through it, passing well, getting on it.
“He's 18 years of age, it's an awful big task for the kid to go into central midfield and try and run a game.”
Chirivella, whose present contract with Liverpool runs until 2017, has thus far made four senior appearances for the club, with all of those coming this season.
Apart from starting the FA Cup replay against West Ham, the youngster came on as substitutes in the two games versus Exeter City in the previous round of the competition.
He also made a substitute appearance in the 1-1 draw with Bordeaux in a Europa League game in September.
