Marc Pelosi only officially signed with Liverpool Tuesday, but the American midfielder has impressed coaches at the storied club for a number of weeks. Academy coach Mike Marsh believes the teenager has what it takes to succeed at Anfield, according to the club's website.
"He's a good player," Marsh said. "He's been training with us for a while. He's in between squads really, training with the reserves one week and then the U18s the next.
"We've been waiting for his paperwork to come through and now it has everyone is delighted. He managed 45 minutes for us against Crewe last weekend and looked a really good player. He was also on the bench for the reserves at Blackburn."
When Pelosi's signing was announced it was thought that he would head straight to Liverpool's academy and work his way up from the club's youth team. Marsh's revelation that the teenager is already training and appearing with the reserves is a sign of how highly the club rates the player.
It's possible that Pelosi will be a full-time player with the reserve team by the end of the season. He turns 18 in June and could then be part of the senior team's preseason preparations. There, he would have a chance to play his way onto Kenny Dalglish's squad.
Pelosi is a midfielder and captain of the U.S. U-17 men's national team. He led the Americans at last summer's FIFA U-17 world cup and impressed scouts with his performances at the tournament. The Sunnyvale, Calif., native is the first of that U-17 group to sign with a professional team.
"He's a left-footed player who can play anywhere on the left-hand side and he's also captain of his country at youth level," Marsh said. "I think he will be a real plus for the football club."
If Pelosi breaks into the Liverpool first team next season, he would likely feature for the U.S. men's national team shortly thereafter.
