Iraola Praises Hungry Jacquet as Liverpool Defender Nears Peak Fitness

Andoni Iraola says Jeremy Jacquet is closing in on peak condition after an eye-catching first month in a Liverpool shirt.

The 21-year-old centre-back, a £60million signing from Rennes whose move was agreed in January, only arrived at Anfield at the start of July and lost a sizeable slice of pre-season while finishing his recovery from shoulder surgery that ended his previous campaign in February.

Any fears of rust have faded quickly.

Jacquet impressed on his first outing for the club in the final pre-season friendly against Como and has since started all four of Liverpool’s competitive fixtures this season. He 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 midweek Champions League victory over Atletico Madrid.

Iraola has liked what he’s seen – and sees plenty more to come.

“I think he had had good performances. He is still building,” the Liverpool boss said. “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.

“He is a player that we knew about his qualities. He is confident on the ball, he is aggressive without the ball.

“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.”

A month ago Jacquet was still shaking off the effects of surgery and a lost spring. Now he is stringing 90-minute performances together in the Premier League and Champions League, with his manager openly backing both his talent and his temperament.

The real question for the rest of the season is not whether he belongs at this level. It is how high, and how fast, he can climb in a Liverpool defence being rebuilt around him.