A night to remember in Pasching

While Liverpool's senior side were busy making their mark in the Champions League against LASK in Linz, a few miles down the road in Pasching something rather special was unfolding at under-19 level. Two goals down shortly after half-time in their UEFA Youth League fixture against the same opposition, the young Reds staged a stunning comeback to win 4-2, and the player at the heart of it was Will Wright, whose second-half hat-trick turned the tie on its head. Luca Eden, 15 years old and now the youngest goalscorer for the club in the competition's history, added another chapter to his already eye-catching story by creating the opener and then scoring the third.

For Wright, it was a night that put his name in lights in more ways than one. The 18-year-old now has nine goals in eight matches this season at Academy level, a return that would be impressive for a senior striker, let alone a teenager still working his way into the frame. "It's my first hat-trick for the club," he said. "I'm obviously a goalscorer but I want to be a more complete player as well." That combination of ambition and self-awareness is exactly what you want from a youngster with genuine aspirations beyond the youth ranks.

What Iraola wants and what Wright is taking from it

Wright has been on the first-team bench four times and was involved in pre-season preparations, so he has already had a taste of what Andoni Iraola demands. The message, he says, has been consistent and clear. "Not just to me but the whole squad, it's about energy and pressing," Wright explained. "Jurgen had that philosophy of pressing at the right moments. The gaffer is the exact same as that, he loves an energetic side."

He admits adjusting to the new system took a little time during pre-season, but he has been doing his homework. "Watching the games and speaking to a few of the lads as well, you get to grips with it," he said. "It gives you more tools to do well in the first team." That willingness to learn on his own time, beyond the training pitch, tells you something about where his head is.

The inspiration he is drawing on is equally telling. "My motivation is purely to get into the first team, to get in and around training and learn off some of the likes of Isak and Hugo," he said. He identifies as a direct, energetic striker who likes running in behind, and he traces that back to his grassroots roots. "I appreciate the pitches and the facilities I work in because sometimes there can be a click of the fingers and it's away from you." There is a groundedness there that is rare at his age.

Rob Page's verdict and a pathway that is real

U21s coach Rob Page, who has handed Wright the captaincy twice in the UEFA Youth League this season, is in no doubt about what the striker brings beyond the goals. "If you add his ability to all that, then you have the makings of a very good player," Page said. "He leads by example. He does the right thing and he sets the tone in training. He's very appealing to the eye, to our gaffer, to managers out there."

Page also pointed to something that will matter to Wright more than any external praise: the pathway is visible and it is being walked by people he trains alongside. "They've seen a pathway there now. Rio, Trey and now Koumas," he said. Wright himself referenced Lewis Koumas by name as the template. "Of course, I have to just keep working hard like Lewis has, and some of the other lads like Chambo and James McConnell. They come back and you ask 'what's it like?' and they say everyone works hard. That's the level we have to aim for."

Nine goals in eight games, a first hat-trick for the club, and a manager who prizes exactly the qualities Wright believes he has. The next question is when Iraola decides he has seen enough to give the 18-year-old a closer look.