Andoni Iraola believes Rio Ngumoha must not be saddled by ‘impossible’ demands.
Ngumoha delivered a man-of-the-match display in Liverpool’s Champions League win over Villarreal in midweek, providing two assists during the seven-goal thriller.
The teenage winger has enjoyed a meteoric rise since breaking into the Anfield first team last season and made his senior competitive England debut last month.
Talks are currently underway to offer him a new long-term deal with the Reds despite only signing professional terms shortly after turning 18 last summer.
But ahead of Brighton’s visit on Sunday, Iraola has cautioned against Ngumoha being heaped with unnecessary pressure at the outset of his professional career.
He said: “I feel very lucky to have him but this is a moment when, because he has played well.
“We cannot straight away put expectations on him super high because it is not fair for him.
“He will still have to make mistakes, he will still have his moments where it is up and down, because this is a natural process that every player goes through.
“We cannot straight away put demands on Rio that are impossible to beat.
“No, we have to help him in this process knowing that he will have good games and probably some games when it is not so good.”