Games with Chelsea tend to be quite memorable and hyped up. Little, however, was made of the most recent encounter between the two clubs. Admittedly it was the two sides’ reserve teams that met yet, given that they play in different sections of the league, it was an unusual encounter nevertheless.

It may still turn out to be a memorable one, however, as the friendly featured the first reserve team appearance of Lauri Della Valle.

The Finnish striker with an Italian father (hence the name) joined Liverpool last year amid a flurry of articles about his immense potential. Malcolm Elias, the man charged with finding new players for the academy, was quoted as saying that “he is a special talent; there's no doubt about that” whilst scout Ian Brannagan said that “I believe a year will suffice Lauri at the Academy. After that he'll be ready to move to Melwood.”

That Liverpool had been so persistent to get the player to sign also heightened expectations: they had been following him for almost a year before Della Valle agreed to join. Then again, he had a very good reason to do so.

A year earlier, he had moved to Inter Milan but found it tougher than expected. Not because of the distance from home but rather because of lack of team spirit. Within six months he was back home and that experience convinced him that he would take more care in choosing his next team.

And he had plenty to choose from, with a host of big clubs expressing their interest. Liverpool, however, played their cards right and eventually Della Valle joined last year. His impact was immediate, scoring some eleven goals in his first ten games for the U17. That soon won him promotion to the U18 side which is where he has started this season.

Goals have been harder to come by yet his overall level of play hasn’t disappointed and the initial positive reports have all been borne out. That much was evidenced by Liverpool offering him a four year professional deal after the Chelsea game – Della Valle has just turned seventeen so before that he could only sign a pre-agreement – and he’s already training with the reserves.

That makes him the youngest player in the Melwood set-up which goes to show just how highly rated he is. There is, of course, good reason for this. Physically stronger than your average teen, Della Valle has that added awareness of what is happening around him on the pitch that marks out special talent.

He can find space between defenders just as much as he can play through an intelligent pass to others around him making a run into space. There is also an end result to his game: he can bring others into play but above all he is a goalscorer.

Interested in reading more about Liverpool's young players? Find many more profiles here.