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Brew are ya?

How Rhian Brewster became England U17s’ World Cup talisman as Liverpool youngster netted double hat-tricks against Brazil and USA

Young forward has netted back-to-back hat-tricks to lead the Lion Cubs into the Under-17s World Cup final against Spain

RHIAN BREWSTER made a big impression on Jurgen Klopp the first time he met his boss.

And the hero of England’s Under-17 World Cup campaign hasn’t stopped doing so since...

 Rhian Brewster has scored back-to-back hat-tricks to fire England into the Under-17s World Cup final
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Rhian Brewster has scored back-to-back hat-tricks to fire England into the Under-17s World Cup finalCredit: Getty

Klopp, just two days after replacing Brendan Rodgers, had decided to watch the Reds’ Under-16s against Stoke City.

Brewster, then 15, was withdrawn after 50 minutes to join an older age group.

With no time to lose, he hot-footed it around the pitch and straight past Klopp.

Realising what he’d done, Brewster about turned, introducing himself and shaking hands with the new boss before going on to make his Under-18s debut.

 Liverpool star Rhian Brewster has impressed Jurgen Klopp
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Liverpool star Rhian Brewster has impressed Jurgen KloppCredit: Getty

Now 17-years-old, Brewster has shown similar sharpness and awareness on the field.

He's bagged back-to-back hat-tricks for England’s Under-17s against the USA and Brazil to set up a World Cup final against Spain on Saturday.

Our friends at Football Whispers profile the man who has fired the Young Lions to within 90 minutes of glory in India.

Who is Rhian Brewster and where does he come from?

 Rhian Brewster has been on fire in recent days for England Under-17s
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Rhian Brewster has been on fire in recent days for England Under-17sCredit: Reuters

He’s yet to even kick a ball at senior level but overnight, almost everyone knows the Liverpool’s prodigy’s name.

After scoring a hat-trick to fire Steve Cooper’s side past the USA in the quarter-finals, Brewster repeated the trick on Wednesday against Brazil.

With seven goals to his name, the Chadwell Heath-born forward is now within touching distance of the Golden Boot.

On top of that, he could potentially become the second-most famous England hat-trick hero since Sir Geoff Hurst.

Brewster played his early football at the Chadwell Heath Academy and the Shield football academy before being snapped up by Chelsea at the age of seven.

After eight years with the west London club, Brewster had to make a tough decision.

A look at Liverpool and England Under-17s star Rhian Brewster

He was smart enough to realise his chances of making it at Stamford Bridge were slim with the Blues able to spend millions on new strikers each summer.

Even then, Dominic Solanke and Tammy Abraham would have been ahead of him.

His father, Ian, recalls his son’s decision to leave London and head to the North West.

"I asked Rhian: 'If you got £10,000 at Chelsea or £5,000 at, let's say, Watford but played in front of big crowds, which would you choose?'

“He said 'Watford' straight away. That told me that he wanted to play football at the highest level, no matter where."

His decision was vindicated almost immediately. After joining the Reds at 15, Brewster quickly set tongues wagging at the club’s Kirby Academy training HQ.

 Rhian Brewster has impressed Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp since day one
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Rhian Brewster has impressed Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp since day oneCredit: Getty

He scored on his Under-23s debut against Ipswich last season and was included in Klopp’s squad for Liverpool’s Premier League fixture at home to Crystal Palace in April.

The call-up caught Brewster by surprise, with Klopp saying: “He was excited about it, he was happy about it.

“He told me after I said to him that he was in the squad: 'I have a wash bag but I don't have a suit'.

"No problem – I don't like the suit too much so it's not a problem.”

Although he didn’t make an appearance, Brewster was promoted to the Under-23s this season and scored a hat-trick in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Accrington Stanley.

Despite playing Down Under for Liverpool against Sydney FC at the end of last season, Brewster missed pre-season due to a broken bone in his foot.

But he has more than made up for lost time in the last few weeks.

How much would he cost?

 England may have unearthed a real gem in Rhian Brewster
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England may have unearthed a real gem in Rhian BrewsterCredit: EPA

It’s fair to say that Brewster’s exploits at the Under-17 World Cup will have put a few million on any asking price Liverpool might have had in mind previously.

Not that the Reds are likely to have any interest in parting with the precocious teenager.

Liverpool have a proud record of producing strikers from their academy – think Robbie Fowler or Michael Owen – and Brewster could be the latest.

What will his most likely destination be in January or next summer?

 Rhian Brewster could be looking at a spot in Liverpool's first-team squad on form
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Rhian Brewster could be looking at a spot in Liverpool's first-team squad on formCredit: Rex Features

A permanent move is surely out of the question.

At just 17-years-old, Liverpool have a player of enormous talent but one that, equally, is very raw.

The best move for Brewster would be to go out on loan an experience league football.

But Klopp has shown by keeping Ben Woodburn at Anfield despite loan interest that he is keen to keep the club’s best young talent around the first team.

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