Predicting the next breakthrough star from Liverpool's Academy is rarely an exact science.
Youngsters mature physically at different rates, some shine brightly before hitting a class ceiling, while others are slow burners who only start to prosper later in their development.
And while gauging progress can be similarly difficult, few can doubt the great steps made by Trent Kone-Doherty since the 16-year-old winger was brought over the Irish Sea from Derry City during the summer.
READ MORE: Khvicha Kvaratskhelia sparks Liverpool confusion as Napoli fans send X-rated message
READ MORE: Jurgen Klopp has unleashed new partnership that can fire Liverpool to turning point
Having scored his first UEFA Youth League goal in the 3-1 defeat at Ajax last week, on Tuesday afternoon Kone-Doherty struck twice in three second-half minutes to help Liverpool under-19s clinch top spot in Group A with a 5-0 romp over Napoli at Kirkby.
If the first was a reaction finish after Melkamu Frauendorf's shot had been parried, the second showcased the promise of the youngster, accepting a Lee Jonas pass inside the area and then powering his way past his marker before finishing well into the corner.
While still slight of frame, Kone-Doherty has quickly adjusted to life at Liverpool and has now netted nine goals this season with six in his last six U18 Premier League North outings.
"He has been here since the start of July," says U18s coach Marc Bridge-Wilkinson, who was in charge against Napoli in the absence of Barry Lewtas. "He's a very good player and showed he can finish, he can go on the outside, and whether or not he's up against people who are bigger or a lot stronger, he still has the ability and football brain to go past people."
Bridge-Wilkinson has witnessed first-hand not only the swift ascent of Kone-Doherty, but also that of another 16-year-old summer wing arrival, Ben Doak, who also netted to take his tally to four in the competition having also scored in the U18 league, Premier League 2 and the EFL Trophy.
"He was definitely a thorn in Napoli's side and gave us a lot going forward," says Bridge-Wilkinson. "He plays the game in quite a mature fashion, he's very good at certain things in his game and he's very good at finding a way to show people how he does it."
Liverpool will discover their last 16 opponents on February 13 following the play-off round, with the knockout stages beginning on February 28 and March 1.
"I'm really pleased with the performance and the goals we scored," says Bridge-Wilkinson. "Quite possibly it was a reaction to what happened against Ajax last week. In the first half and for long spells of the second half we showed that this is a good group of players.
"We knew before the game that we'd qualified already as first or second, so we knew we'd have another game in the competition and yellow and red cards continue into that. We knew that Napoli were already out, and if things didn't go the way they liked, they might start to get a bit fractious. It was just about being sensible and cautious, and do the job that we needed to do in a professional manner."
READ NEXT
