FeatureMeet the Academy: The story behind Kieran Morrison's screamers and skills

Those who closely follow Liverpool's Academy sides will be fully aware of the 17-year-old's tendency for the remarkable.

And even those who don't will probably have come across some of his jaw-dropping production.

Morrison has had six contenders in the running for the club's Goal of the Month awards this season – from long-range beauties to nifty runs and finishes.

What's not been seen, however, is the repetition and practice put in to bring that class to a matchday.

"Since I was four years old," he tells Liverpoolfc.com. "Training every day since I was young. It helps a lot. I always try to stay out and do more, do as much as I can and try to squeeze every ounce out of training.

"Ever since I was young, I've always liked scoring top-bins goals outside the box or outside-the-box screamers."

Plenty of work, and close study, is also being put in to add more routine finishes to Morrison's game.

"Even Alex [Inglethorpe] told me if I get more tap-ins, I get 20-plus goals a season," Morrison says.

"I'm always in the box but it hasn't landed to me yet! I just want to score loads of tap-ins.

"It's always about making the back post if the ball is on the left wing. Like what [Mohamed] Salah does really, just arriving at the back post at the [right] times. It's about timing – that's why he's got so many goals, that's why he's really good."

Morrison's frequency in front of goal has been increased by a mid-season positional switch.

Having begun the campaign as a midfield No.8 with Marc Bridge-Wilkinson's U18s, he's now thriving as a right-winger and has also featured for the U21s.

"I'm happy that I've got quite a few goals from a different position and it just shows that I'm quite versatile," he states.

"It's a lot more freedom, I can use some skills. There's no better feeling than to get the ball and there's one or two guys there and I just try to take them on. I don't care if I lose it, it's football, isn't it?"

His encouraging development also recently saw him cross sections at the AXA Training Centre to train with Jürgen Klopp's senior squad for the first time.

Morrison found his instincts eventually kicked in for that audition after some understandable butterflies.

"I was nervous but as soon as I started getting on the ball, all the nerves just went and I just relied on my skills and my basic tools," says the Northern Ireland youth international, who last week signed his first professional contract with the Reds.

"It's like, 'I can't mess up.' You just have to be yourself."

With another milestone reached in his promising career, Morrison continues to relish life at Liverpool, having arrived at the club at U14 level.

"The Academy always tries to get the best out of the kids, always," he says. "The coaches, the fitness coaches, the sports scientists, nutritionists, everyone is always on it and trying to help all the youngsters get better and better."

Outlining his ambitions, Morrison finishes: "Short term, this year is to try to get as many goals and assists as I can and get the first team's attention.

"Hopefully if I'm in there, I don't know if it's going to be Klopp or anyone else, I just want to prove that I'm ready for the first team and that when I get in there I'm not some little kid and I can actually handle myself."