Watch: Marko Grujic vs. Fleetwood Town

Ah, preseason. It's a time when hope springs eternal, and good performances signal to the world that we have The Next Big Thing™. Or rather, it would signal to the world, if anyone in the world but the most resolute Liverpool and Fleetwood Town supporters were watching, which they certainly were not.

Regardless, for those who watched last night's highly enjoyable 5-0 romp in the park, one of the standout players from the first half was 20-year-old Serbian midfielder and Liverpool debutante Marko Grujic. Donning #16 (as he is at least smart enough not to play midfield and request the poison chalice that is #8), Grujic assumed the box-to-box role, making a particularly solid impact in the attacking third.

Grujic had an especially dangerous opening 20 minutes. The young Serbian won a penalty after shrugging off a defender and driving into the box. Danny Ings failed to convert, but Grujic made up for his teammate's mistake only a few minutes later when he latched onto an Alberto Moreno cross, took a touch, and fired a hard, low shot on target. The ball ended up in the back of the net, with a bit of luck from a deflection.

He wasn't content just with the one goal, and continued to be a threat throughout the rest of the half. Later on, he hit the woodwork from a tight angle, put another shot on target, forcing Fletwood's keeper into a good save, and put Sadio Mané through on goal with a neat little chipped pass. Grujic, along with the rest of the starting XI, were subbed off at the half.

All-in-all, it was a very promising debut from a player that we didn't know much about before he arrived. Klopp & Co. certainly have a lot of polishing to do yet, but we can see why the boss was so eager to bring him in. You can watch the every-touch compilation below (and apologies for the wonky audio).