Liverpool lining up wonderkid to FINALLY replace Roberto Firmino

There's a new Roberto Firmino at Liverpool playing in the club's academy at the moment.

Right now the no.9 situation seems to be under control at Anfield. But for a period of a couple of years after Firmino left the club, there was uncertainty.

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The Brazilian left a void that Darwin Nunez simply could not fill. The Uruguayan was a completely different player to what Jurgen Klopp's side needed.

Even with Hugo Ekitike and Alexander Isak coming in, the Reds will probably never get a player as technically brilliant and also as tenacious as Firmino.

He was one of a kind. Although there is a wonderkid in the club's academy who could actually ultimately, and finally, replace Firmino in the first team for many years to come.

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Liverpool historically do not have a great track record in terms of promoting attackers from the academy. There have been promising forwards at academy level like Rhian Brewster, Layton Stewart, Oakley Cannonier and Jerome Sinclair but they all lacked the qualities needed to make it at a high level in senior football.

It's now been over two decades since Liverpool produced a world-class forward and that was Michael Owen, who won the Ballon d'or.

Things are changing at academy level though. We've seen the emergence of Jayden Danns, who will have high hopes to make it far in the game, and there's another exciting young talent in the club's U18 side, who reminds us of Firmino at his peak.

Joshua Sonni-Lambie is only 17-years-old but already he has been a stand-out performer among the U18s for several years now. He made his debut at this level when he was only 15-years-old.

Last season he made 17 goal contributions for the young Reds, and this season he started out the campaign scoring a world-class goal from just over the half-way line before netting in the U18s second game of the season as well.

That's two goals in two games for Sonni-Lambie but it's not just his goal contributions that stand-out about him.

The teenager has clearly modelled his game on Firmino. He often drops deep to link-up with his teammates, he can dribble past opponents and he has an excellent first touch.

Out of possession he harasses defenders and works really hard to win the ball back.

The tenacity and the technical qualities that he has just makes him look like a future Firmino in the making. Ultimately, it feels like the club is lining him up to take the throne that Firmino left behind in the future. He's got all the potential in the world to reach those levels if he continues to catch the eye.

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