Jeremy Jacquet's rapid rise at the heart of Liverpool's defence

Liverpool beat Brighton and kept their fourth clean sheet of the season. Much of the credit for the defence goes to a 21-year-old who arrived only a few months ago. Jeremy Jacquet, a French centre-back, has started every Premier League and Champions League game since Liverpool signed him from Rennes for £60m in the summer.

A centre-back is one of the two central defenders, the pair who stop attacks through the middle of the pitch. Liverpool's interest in Jacquet grew out of another search. They pursued Leny Yoro in 2024, and that chase led them to notice Jacquet.

His first months were not smooth. Reuters reported that he suffered a serious shoulder injury while playing for Rennes, in a 3-1 defeat to RC Lens. A knee problem followed in the summer, and he played no minutes on Liverpool's tour of the United States. He made his debut in a friendly against Como at Anfield and scored, a week before the Premier League season began.

His first league appearance came at Newcastle's St James' Park. Since then he has been hard to leave out. He has played 956 minutes this season, second only to Alisson, who has played 990. Alisson is Liverpool's goalkeeper.

The figures back up the eye test. Jacquet has four Premier League clean sheets. He has 15 interceptions, cutting out passes before they reach an attacker, and 10 blocks, both fourth best in the division. He has also made 19 tackles, more than any of his Liverpool team-mates.

The rise has come after a big change at the back. Ibrahima Konate left for Real Madrid, leaving a gap alongside Virgil van Dijk. Jacquet has been the one to step into it.

He has also made his mark on the international stage. Zinedine Zidane gave him a call-up to the France squad, and he has made his debut for his country.

Liverpool's summer question was whether a young defender with a bruising start could fill a big space. So far, the answer has been yes.