Joey Barton believes on-loan Liverpool defender Jarell Quansah could be destined for the very top after the 20-year-old delivered his most impressive and accomplished performance in a Bristol Rovers shirt so far.
Quansah was colossal in the heart of the Gas defence as they repelled Ipswich Town’s multiple attacking threats to claim a much-deserved 0-0 and end a run of four consecutive defeats in League One, three of which the centre-back has been a part of.
For any young player, let alone someone making their first steps in the professional game, to be parachuted into a losing environment, that would represent a significant challenge but it’s testament to Quansah’s attitude and temperament he’s simply carried on playing.
Not only is he equipped with immense body strength and anticipation in 1v1 defending but his awareness in squeezing the space - as Rovers flipped between a back four and a three-man defence - showed high-level football IQ.
The confidence he holds in his own ability was evidenced by his willingness to carry the ball out from the back and into midfield. There were a few occasions where it was perhaps not best advised, as in one period of play he took on two Ipswich forwards only to momentarily lose control and then collide with teammate Harry Anderson for the ball to thankfully go out of play because otherwise Rovers would have been left short.
But he’s clearly a defender with all-round ability, on and off the ball, who will continue to improve as the rest of the season develops and, beyond his time in BS7, Barton forecasts an impressive career for club and country.
“I’m mindful of not heaping too much on the kids but, why not?” Barton said, in response to a question around whether Quansah could one day play for England. “He’s as good on the ball that you’ll need to be in terms of building out from the back. He’s going to get bigger, he’s going to get stronger, he’s going to get faster. His anticipation of the game is going to be better because more senior games get you that.
“The one concern we had when we brought him in was his heading ability because we knew he could leap, he could score a goal at the back post, but he’s getting well-versed in the physical, aerial contact. But the heading he’s doing from a defensive standpoint is what any senior would be proud of. He has an enormous future in front of him.
“It was tough because Bobby (Thomas) had done well for us, we had to absorb that and find someone else but I think we’ve gone a long way to solving that problem with the addition of Jarell.”
Quansah has had to learn on the job after replacing Bobby Thomas in the Rovers defence - after his loan agreement was terminated and the Burnley centre-back redirected to Barnsley - but has made it appear a seamless transition in the space of just three weeks, and continues a trend under Barton of developing elite-level talent at the Mem.
He follows the path of Elliot Anderson (Newcastle United) and Connor Taylor (Stoke City), while Josh Coburn (Middlesbrough) is enjoying an outstanding campaign in attack and Ellery Balcombe (Brentford) is showing signs of why Barton made the decision to bring the 23-year-old in and replace No1 James Belshaw.
“I think you can see, he’s come into a side that’s not allowed him to hit the ground running,” Barton added. “But with every performance the only real blemish he’s got is the penalty in the MK game which was trying to do the right thing - trying to win the ball.
“The sky’s the limit for him, he can be whatever he wants. Jurgen Klopp doesn’t feel the way he feels about you, training with the first team, unless you’re a good player. They’re the top end of our profession and I’m just so pleased that they trust us with that type of player because they feel so highly of him.
“For us, he comes here to a different style of football but I think he’s got anything he wants to be in front of him if he keeps working hard and he stays level-headed.
"If you meet the boy, his character, he reminds me so much of Elliot Anderson in terms of nothing phases him. He was a little bit disappointed after the game on Saturday because we’d lost again, because he’s not used to losing. Those academy teams won’t lose four on the spin. Liverpool very rarely do that.
“I just love working with top players and we’ve been lucky in the January market, we’ve added good characters to our group - some young characters - but look at Wardy’s (Grant Ward) performance, Ellery’s performance, Jarell’s performance.
"It’s unfair to single them out but as new players to our group they showed all the qualities that you want to see in a new addition and that is: fighting for the badge and giving everything for the quartered jersey.”
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