Iraola Praises Hungry Jacquet as £60m Defender Nears Full Fitness

Andoni Iraola says Jeremy Jacquet is finally closing in on full sharpness – and the Liverpool manager sounds delighted with what he’s seen so far.

The 21-year-old centre-back officially became a Liverpool player in July after a £60million deal was agreed with Rennes back in January. His start, though, was anything but smooth. Shoulder surgery in February wiped out the end of his season in France and cost him a sizeable chunk of his first pre-season at Anfield.

Liverpool knew they were buying potential and personality rather than an instant iron man. They also knew about the qualities. Iraola made that clear.

“He is a player that we knew about his qualities. He is confident on the ball, he is aggressive without the ball,” the Spaniard said, underlining exactly why Liverpool pushed so hard to land him.

The early signs have backed that belief. Jacquet impressed on his first outing in red in the final pre-season friendly against Como, showing enough composure and bite to accelerate his integration. From there, Iraola has not hesitated: the defender has started all four of Liverpool’s competitive fixtures this season.

The minutes have been managed carefully. At first, he simply couldn’t last the distance.

“The first games, he couldn’t finish,” Iraola admitted. The coaching staff could see the rust from those months on the sidelines. The match fitness wasn’t there yet, even if the quality on the ball clearly was.

That changed at Ipswich. Jacquet completed his first full 90 minutes in the 2-0 win at Portman Road last Friday, digging deep through the closing stages.

“Against Ipswich, he finished but he was very tired,” Iraola said. “I was very happy the other night because he finished and he had no issues and was fresh. He finished quite strong.”

That “other night” was the midweek Champions League win over Atletico Madrid, where Jacquet again went the distance and looked far less drained. For Iraola, that was the real step forward: the performance and the physical response finally lining up.

“He is building his physical condition after a lot of months without playing,” the Liverpool boss explained. The process has been gradual, but the curve is clearly upward.

Beyond the fitness charts and load management, it’s Jacquet’s attitude that is resonating inside the dressing room.

“He is quick and mentality-wise, you can see he is hungry to win things, to play minutes,” Iraola said. “Obviously I am very happy with him.”

Four games in, Liverpool’s £60m defender is no longer just a promising signing on paper. He is on the pitch, he is lasting the full 90, and his manager can see a centre-back who wants much more than a gentle introduction to life at Anfield.