Swansea star Yan Dhanda has revealed he is hoping to persuade his former Liverpool youth teammate Rhian Brewster to join him at Swansea City on loan.
Dhanda spent five years in Liverpool's youth ranks before making the move to South Wales 18 months ago with the Swans currently well in the hunt for a play-off spot, sitting sixth in the Championship.
Brewster was in the squad for the FA Cup Merseyside derby on Sunday and came on as a substitute as Liverpool beat Everton 1-0 at Anfield but that won't lessen the prospect of the 19-year-old going out on loan this month.
21-year-old Dhanda has now confirmed he has attempted to lure his former teammate to Swansea on loan this January. Speaking about his attempts to convince Brewster, he told the Liverpool Echo: "I have spoken to Rhian a few times. I would love him to come here. But it’s completely up to him what he wants to do. I’ll still be friends with him, either way."
The 21-year-old added: "I’m sure he’d play lots of games here. Here’s an amazing player and if he came I’d be buzzing for him because he’s one of my close friends."
Brewster was originally at the academy of Liverpool's Premier League rivals Chelsea before the Reds snapped him up in 2014. The young centre forward is yet to make a league appearance for the European champions but was a part of the strong squad that travelled to Qatar for the Club World Cup in December.
First-team football has been hard to come by for two-time Champions League winner Xherdan Shaqiri in recent months, so Brewster shouldn't feel too deflated that he is yet to secure a regular berth in such a good team at this early stage of his career.
With his lack of top flight opportunities in Liverpool, Dhanda's suggestion of a loan to a Championship side seems like a smart option for a player in need of first team minutes.