FeatureMeet the Academy: The goal-hungry Keyrol Figueroa and his two accents

The Liverpool U21s striker recalls scoring 90 times across a calendar year while climbing through the ranks of the Academy set-up.

Figueroa would be modestly rewarded every time he got on the scoresheet growing up in the USA, and that convention followed when he and his family moved back to England.

"My mum and dad had a tradition where every time I'd score they'd give me a dollar," the USA youth international tells Liverpoolfc.com. "But then it changed to a pound when I came here.

"So, I ended with £90 at the end of it because of how many goals I scored throughout the whole year.

"We continued doing that tradition until I got older. It doesn't go on anymore!"

He adds: "I've always got in my mind that when I play [that] it's another opportunity for me to score.

"I'm the type of player where my euphoria comes from scoring. If I play well and I don't score, I'm kind of off it and my mood changes. I'm very dependent on those things.

"I was a natural [at] goalscoring through my ages, so that's what I kind of expect from myself."

Honduras-born Keyrol is in his second spell wearing the Liverpool shirt but has officially been on the club's books since U14 level.

He was initially on trial in Kirkby until his dad Maynor, a Premier League defender at the time, left Hull City and took the family Stateside to continue his career in Major League Soccer.

Keyrol knows exactly the life of an elite-level footballer and is desperate to experience it himself.

The 18-year-old says: "I was in America for a bit and I wanted to pursue my football career, so I persuaded my parents to bring me back to England and try to find clubs.

"My trial from U9s didn't finish, so I carried on with it here. Eventually I got signed.

"It was bound to happen for me to become a footballer. It was the life put through me – the qualities of being a professional or even just the experiences when we went away or when we went to watch his [Maynor's] games.

"For me, I dreamt of that. Just because I want to live that life, I want to be able to play at the highest level and I could give back to [my parents'] sacrifices outside of football and inside of football."

The big question, though: has son ever replicated father in scoring from his own half?

Maynor once did so, with an audacious, long-range free-kick for Wigan Athletic away at Stoke City, one that deservedly won BBC Goal of the Season for 2009-10.

"I wish!" Keyrol smiles. "One day. I said to my dad that there's going to be a day where I have the chance to do it and I'll try to do it.

"But he can't score bicycle kicks for a living, so it's alright!"

Figueroa junior believes finishing ability, strength and pace are the main assets of his game currently.

Looking to develop into the complete forward, his influences are widespread – and three of his idols once led the line brilliantly for Liverpool.

He reveals: "When I was younger, I was just about old enough to watch [Didier] Drogba, [Sergio] Aguero.

"I watched Luis Suarez as well. I think [Fernando] Torres when he was at Atletico Madrid was someone I tried to embody. Daniel Sturridge as well when he was at Liverpool. Those are the types of players that I looked up to.

"I'd say I'm powerful, I'd say I'm good [with my] back to goal. I think I'm a complete, total finisher – I can finish with my left, my right or my head."

And as this conversation draws to a close, Figueroa wants to get something off his chest.

"You know what, I'll just get rid of this one now! I've got this thing where everyone takes the mick out of me because of this," the English-sounding youngster begins, smiling.

"So, I lived in America for so long that I've brought the American accent and I've got both the accents with me. If I was interviewed in America, my American accent would come out.

"I can speak English and Spanish and it's weird because I treat it [the American accent] like a language. When I'm in America, because a lot of my family are American, my accent does come out!

"Honestly, it's weird because the more interviews I get, the more people will see it. But I just want to get it out there now instead of hiding it until it becomes a big thing."

And now you know.