Jeremy Jacquet's Rapid Rise at Liverpool: Andoni Iraola Praises Defender's Impact

Jeremy Jacquet has barely had time to unpack on Merseyside, but Andoni Iraola has already seen enough to make one thing clear: Liverpool’s new centre-back is arriving fast at full throttle.

The 21-year-old completed his £60million switch from Rennes in January, only joining up at Anfield at the start of July. By then, he was still working his way back from the shoulder surgery that cut short his season in February and stripped away a big chunk of pre-season work.

Liverpool knew they were buying potential. What they’re seeing now is a defender accelerating through the gears.

Jacquet caught the eye immediately in his first appearance, a composed display in the final pre-season friendly against Como. Iraola trusted that showing. Since then, the Frenchman has started all four of Liverpool’s competitive fixtures this term.

The workload has ramped up quickly.

Jacquet completed his first full 90 minutes in the 2-0 win at Ipswich Town last Friday, then backed it up with another full game in midweek as Liverpool beat Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.

Iraola has watched the progression closely.

“I think he had had good performances. He is still building,” the Liverpool boss said. “The first games, he couldn’t finish. Against Ipswich, he finished but he was very tired. I was very happy the other night because he finished and he had no issues and was fresh. He finished quite strong.

“He is building his physical condition after a lot of months without playing.

“He is a player that we knew about his qualities. He is confident on the ball, he is aggressive without the ball.

“He is quick and mentality-wise, you can see he is hungry to win things, to play minutes. Obviously I am very happy with him.”

Liverpool planned for a gradual integration. Instead, Jacquet has forced the pace, turning recovery minutes into full-blooded performances and giving Iraola a powerful new option at the heart of his defence.

If this is Jacquet still “building”, the question for the rest of the season is simple: how high is his ceiling once he finally hits full condition?