After Liverpool’s Premier League match against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday, star defender Virgil van Dijk had high comments for 20-year-old center-back prospect Jarell Quansah.

In a news conference before Liverpool’s forthcoming Europa League match against Austrian side LASK, Van Dijk reportedly lauded the young English center-back.

“On the weekend he was outstanding in my opinion. The amount of time he played he was outstanding. I was very proud of him.”

Quansah, who is young and inexperienced, played alongside van Dijk in Liverpool’s starting defense against Wolverhampton. The Reds’ solid performance at Molineux Stadium was in large part due to his cool demeanor and stout defense.

After spending six months on loan at Bristol Rovers, Quansah made his first-team Liverpool debut as a replacement for Joel Matip in a recent match against Newcastle United. But he has had an immediate and profound impact.

The 20-year-old’s first contract with the Premier League club was signed in 2021, five years after he originally joined the Reds. Joey Barton, Quansah’s previous manager at Bristol, is a big fan and thinks he’ll be one of the best players in the future.

If Quansah keeps progressing at his present pace, he may become the newest product of the Liverpool academy to make it big. Liverpool has shown its dedication to fostering young talent with the success of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Curtis Jones, and others.

Van Dijk beamed with pride as he watched his youthful protege make his debut. Quansah’s innate potential, under the veteran’s tutelage, might help him become a mainstay in Liverpool’s team for years to come.