COMMENT: In the end, it was a low key debut for Jerome Sinclair last night at Wigan Athletic.
Latics boss Malky Mackay gave Sinclair the final ten minutes in their defeat to Watford at the DW. The Liverpool striker, with the ink on his loan deal barely dry, battled to make an impression, but it will be exciting to follow his progress in the coming weeks.
They've been talking about Sinclair since Liverpool nicked him away from West Bromwich Albion as a 14 year-old. At 16, he became the club's youngest debutant - against the Baggies in the League Cup. And now, two years on, and after a spectacular goalscoring campaign with the academy and U21s, Sinclair will get his chance to show us all what he can do with Wigan.
After the success of Jordon Ibe at Derby County and Sheyi Ojo's impact with Wigan, Sinclair has a bit to live up to. But he's a talent, that's for sure, and for many, the best of the three.
He's been likened to Raheem Sterling, but Sinclair's game is more similar to Daniel Sturridge. Indeed, he's admitted he looks up to the Reds striker. Pace, power and a stunning left-foot shot, there's a lot in his game that can be compared with Sturridge. And it could be argued he's actually a more natural striker, with an ability to score in- and outside the opposition area.
But he actually arrived from West Brom playing in a deeper role.
He was the Baggies' real gem. It had been six years since Bryan Robson insisted the club pour resources into a serious academy and at 14, they really thought they had a world-beater on their hands. But in stepped Liverpool, the FA's laws were lax and Sinclair was on his way.
Four years on and credit the Reds academy for maintaining Sinclair's development. Like Sterling (QPR), Ibe (Wycombe Wanderers) and Ojo (MK Dons), Sinclair's progress hasn't been hurt moving to a bigger club. Liverpool are bucking a trend - there's countless examples through the Premier League of youngsters being tempted away from lower league academies, only to disappear into obscurity.
Liverpool's development structure, fully supported by manager Brendan Rodgers, is proving the real deal. Is there a better example in the country of how to identify talent in the lower leagues, recruit and then develop these teens into Premier League -ready footballers?
Seeing Sinclair simply dominate some U21 games this season, he looks ready. And given Mackay's eagerness to have him involved last night, he'll get his chance at Wigan. If you're a Reds fan, or simply a fan of English football, it will be worth just keeping an eye on the Latics in the coming weeks.
We could be witnessing the start of something special.
