Even after a full season of training with Liverpool's first team, Lewis Koumas was still a little star struck.
Especially when it came to Luis Diaz, a player he calls his current “idol” in the game.
“There were times when he probably thought I was a bit of a fool just looking at him,” Koumas told Sky Sports with a smile.
“I love watching him to see what he does and trying to implement bits of his game into mine.
“All the strikers at Liverpool are incredible. All the players really are. It was crazy to be there every day watching them and learning from them. It's the happiest thing there is.”
“You always get that moment when you have Mo Salah or Virgil van Dijk in front of you. I don't think that awe will ever go away.”
Koumas, still just 19, is challenging himself this season at Liverpool, on loan at Stoke City in the Championship.
However, it was not the original plan to spend the season in the Potteries.
“I wouldn't go out on loan until January or next summer,” Koumas explains.
“It was a bit of a shock. I had signed my new long-term contract with Liverpool and suddenly it was just: 'Stoke wants you to leave in the morning'.
“And I was just out the door and straight over here. I was lucky that the opportunity came, and then I just came here to try to do my best.
“I felt like I could do it, no matter how old I was or what experience I had. I know what I'm capable of, so it was just about showing it.”
And Koumas, who only turned 19 in September, has impressed under testing conditions. He has kept his place under four different managers in a side that has struggled at the wrong end of the table.
“I feel like I can handle the level very well,” he adds. “It's obviously a big step forward. But I'm really enjoying it.”
Koumas has also had a few goals to enjoy, with four goals scored in all competitions. One of them was a thrilling acrobatic effort against Bristol City.
It was undoubtedly the most aesthetically impressive of all his goals, but it was not his favorite.
“A lot of people would expect me to say the bicycle kick against Bristol City, but my favorite one was Sunderland away,” he says.
“My dad scored in the same ground in the same corner to promote West Brom, so that made it quite special.”
Koumas is of course referring to his father, Jason. A special talent and a cult hero for fans of a certain era – and especially at West Brom.
Koumas Jr says his father wasn't that involved in the early stages of his career. He just wanted his son to have fun and learn to love the game, which won't come as a big surprise to anyone lucky enough to remember him playing.
“It was more my grandfather when I was little, who I first kicked a ball with and who I went to the park with,” he says.
“My father took over in the more serious phases. Before then, he just wanted me to have fun as a kid and make sure I enjoyed it.
“But now I have questions for him every day and after every game.
“He always tries to improve me and of course I'm happy to have him because he was such a good player and he can share his experiences with me.
“It's harder to be the kind of player he was today. He was a street footballer and you rarely see that anymore.”
It's harder to shine as an individual in the structured world of the modern game, but Koumas undoubtedly still has that touch of flair.
That ability, combined with a determination to prove himself and prove past doubters wrong, could lead him toward a promising career.
“When I was younger at Liverpool there was an element of people saying, 'You're only here because of your dad',” says Koumas.
“It's nice to have proven them wrong in some way. I'm showing that I'm a good player too and I'm here because of me.”
Comments