5 things you may not know about England Under-17 star Rhian Brewster

25 October 2017 19:10

Rhian Brewster was the star for England as his hat-trick against Brazil took them to the Under-17 World Cup final in India.

Liverpool forward Brewster, 17, also netted a treble in the quarter-final win over the United States and now has seven goals in the tournament.

Here, we look at five things you may not know about the Three Lions youngster.

He used to play for Chelsea

Londoner Brewster was on the books of the reigning Premier League champions between seven and 14 but then moved to Merseyside. In explaining why he left the Blues, he said to liverpoolfc.com: “I told them (Chelsea) I wanted to look at my options because I didn’t see a pathway to become a first-team player there. There were a few clubs interested but once I knew Liverpool were one of them it was an easy choice.”

He’s been on Jurgen Klopp’s radar for some time

After seeing Brewster’s international heroics, Liverpool fans on social media were pleading with Reds boss Klopp to include the teenager in his senior team. Brewster is yet to make his first-team bow but was an unused substitute against Crystal Palace in April. Klopp said at the time: “I’ve known about him for probably more than a year. He’s a wonderfully skilled boy, a real striker, good finisher, fantastic work ethic.”

He did not own a suit when he earned that first-team call-up

An injury crisis coupled with Brewster’s impressive training performances prompted Klopp to call the teenager up for that Palace fixture towards the end of last season. There was just one issue – the young forward did not own a suit. Klopp revealed: “He told me after I said to him that he was in the squad, ‘I have a washbag but I don’t have a suit’. No problem!”

Steven Gerrard helped him overcome penalty heartache

Brewster helped England reach another final back in May but he missed a penalty in the shoot-out as Spain won the European Under-17 Championship. Back at Liverpool, Brewster was consoled by ex-Reds midfielder Steven Gerrard. Speaking to Liverpool’s official website, Brewster revealed: “The first thing he asked me was, ‘Would you take it again?’ I said, ‘Yeah’, and he said, ‘That’s right’.” Brewster scored in a shoot-out at this tournament when England beat Japan in the last 16.

He’s more likely to do a knee-slide than a flip if he scores the winner in the final

Brewster will have the opportunity to continue his red-hot streak in Saturday’s final and he will be hoping for rain in Kolkata, purely so he can use his preferred celebration. He told liverpoolfc.com: “I used to do a back-flip when I scored, but I don’t think the coaches would let me get away with that playing for Liverpool! So now I do a knee slide. It’s perfect when it’s wet for that!”

Source: By PA Sport Staff