Liverpool starlet with outstanding stats is surely set for debut and ready to explode
Liverpool youngster Will Wright looks ready to make an impact in the first team under Andoni Iraola after his latest strong showing in the EFL Trophy.
Iraola is short of options in attack as it stands after a tough summer transfer window.
The Basque boss relied on a host of youth players to step up in pre-season and take part in senior friendlies as the club worked on incomings.
Wright, 18, featured in several pre-season games in the USA and at Anfield, gaining his first real taste of first team football over an extended period of time.
The Preston-born striker looks to have moved to another level at the start of this campaign and could well be knocking on the door of Iraola's squad at some point this season.
His latest cup showing against League Two Rochdale shows that he has all the tools to be a star at senior level for the Reds, particularly given Iraola's lack of out-and-out striking options right now.
Will Wright looks to have outgrown youth football as Liverpool chance beckons
Wright made four senior appearances for Salford City before joining Liverpool in 2025 amid interest from Arsenal.
He scored six goals in 15 Premier League 2 appearances last season and made his first appearance in the senior matchday squad against Crystal Palace in May.
Wright already has five strikes in four games in PL2 so far in 2026-27 after featuring under Iraola in pre-season, and his latest showing proves just how rapidly he is progressing at youth level.
The 18-year-old produced a stunning solo goal on Tuesday as he picked up the ball on the left flank around 40 yards out, ghosted past the Rochdale defence and slotted past the goalkeeper with aplomb.
Aside from the incredible strike, Wright also took the most shots (6), completed the most dribbles (7), and had the joint-most touches (8) in the opposition box compared to every other player on the pitch.
He also created two chances, with one of those deemed a big chance, for his teammates, won seven ground duels and won two of his three attempted aerial duels in the 90 minutes as Liverpool ultimately won on penalties.
Wright certainly looks ready for senior football, and will surely be given a chance to impress for Liverpool's first team before long under Iraola.
Could Wright leave Liverpool on loan in January?
It seems as if the 18-year-old is approaching a pivotal point of his young career, with Liverpool now deciding what is best for his development in the immediate future.
He could be kept on in their under-21s for the whole season with the chance of making the step up to the first team, or may well be allowed out on loan to an EFL side for regular senior minutes in January.
The Reds' U21 manager, Rob Page, admitted last month that a decision will need to made pretty soon on what happens with Wright for the remainder of the campaign.
He said: "If it is the right loan move and the right club that suits him and we’re going to get the best out of him, I can’t imagine we’d ever turn it down, but for Will’s development, it might be that he stays in. We don’t know.
"Let’s get to the window, get things on the table or not and we’ll have a discussion if it’s best for him to stay in and train and be around the first team until January, then fine. If not and the right club comes in and we choose to let him go on loan; it has got to be what is right for the player.”