Kaide Gordon – Jurgen Klopp’s option in Mohamed Salah's absence?

Kaide Gordon became Liverpool's second-youngest goal scorer when he netted against Shrewsbury in the third round of the FA Cup on Sunday evening. The youngster, merely 17 years old, entered Liverpool’s history books and earned a spot right below Ben Woodburn as Liverpool’s youngest goal scorer.

Young Gordon enjoyed a rare start with teenagers Conor Bradley, Tyler Morton and Max Woltman along with debutant Elijah Dixon-Bonner. After playing 80 minutes of the tie and scoring a goal, Gordon was given a standing ovation as he walked off and earned an appreciative hug from coach Jurgen Klopp.

With Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Naby Keita off to AFCON, Gordon is making a strong case to earn some more minutes.

Kaide Gordon - Liverpool's new hero

Gordon enjoyed a rare start along with other academy players against Shrewsbury and made a strong case to earn some more playing time.

Kaide Gordon showed a great level of calmness on the pitch for a 17-year-old against Shrewsbury. He enjoyed 87 percent pass accuracy, making two out of three shots on target, and getting the better of two tackles out of three made. The cherry at the top happened to be the equalizer against the League One side.

The visitors scored first, having exposed the right side of Gordon and Bradley. But the two made up for it by linking up for a fearless shot from Gordon to equalize.

Fabinho added two more goals while Roberto Firmino’s cheeky backheel stole the show. However, it was a night that Gordon will always remember as his equalizer set the tone for Liverpool’s FA Cup next round qualification.

Mohamed Salah’s absence a blessing in disguise for Kaide Gordon?

Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane are off to AFCON, which leaves the door wide open for Kaide Gordon to step up and shine.

The FA Cup is usually a platform for young talent, and under normal circumstances, Kaide Gordon will be looking for the next cup tie to feature again. But after his impressive Shrewsbury performance, Gordon might have earned a few more minutes.

The COVID situation has made things a little tricky for the Reds, and with Salah and Mané absent, Jurgen Klopp now has an option in the academy player.

Jurgen Klopp was full of praise for the youngster:

“That’s Kaide, that’s Kaide. That he is in these situations really calm, I will not say that for the rest of his career in these situations he will always score, but I’m pretty sure more often than not because that’s just him.”

The Liverpool boss is able now to keep the young goal scorer in his plans as a backup in Salah and Mané’s absence.