Ki-Jana Hoever is Liverpool’s youngest ever FA Cup player
Jurgen Klopp picked something of an experimental defence for Liverpool’s FA Cup third round tie with Wolverhampton Wanderers on Monday evening.
Simon Mignolet was in goals for the rested Alisson Becker, while Fabinho moved to centre-back, with Virgil Van Dijk left out. He was partnered in central defence by the experienced Dejan Lovren, while Alberto Moreno got a recall at left-back and 18-year-old Rafael Camacho came in on the opposite side.
Ki-Jana Hoever becomes our youngest #FACup debutant. 👊🔴 #WOLLIV
(📹: @EmiratesFACup)pic.twitter.com/A2zIer5VjW
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) January 7, 2019
Klopp would have hoped that Lovren would act as something as a watching eye over the defence, with Moreno a known liability, Camacho still very inexperienced and Fabinho more comfortable in midfield or at right-back than in the centre.
Unfortunately, the Croatian’s evening lasted roughly five minutes, as he was forced to withdrew with injury.
This was not part of Klopp’s plan, but every cloud has a silver lining, and the German coach took the opportunity to introduce 16-year-old Ki-Jana Hoever into the fray.
Oh my days. Liverpool bring on a player – Ki-Jana Hoever – who was born in 2002. That's AFTER Monsters Inc came out pic.twitter.com/CBDISXH6An
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) January 7, 2019
He was born on 18 January 2002, meaning he was six months old when the 2002 World Cup took place. Yep, we feel old too.
Signed from Ajax in September 2018, Hoever was probably not expecting to make his Liverpool debut for a while, but Lovren’s injury meant that he became the club’s youngest ever player in an FA Cup tie.
