Nallo says: “I would say in terms of my teammates we’re all close and we stand up for each other, we look out for each other.
“I feel like if they need anything, they can come to me. And if I need anything, I can go to them. Everyone’s a leader in my eyes but the gaffer seems [to think] I am.
“I would say I lead by example – I don’t like shouting. Everyone has a way of taking information and if you shout at them then they’re not just going to rate you. You almost have to talk to them in a certain way for them to understand.”
With all you’ve learned about Nallo already in our latest Meet the Academy feature, little wonder is required to figure out who his footballing idol was in his formative years.
Nallo can now technically call that inspiration his Liverpool teammate.
“It was [Virgil] van Dijk,” the England youth international shares. “First time seeing him, he is massive! You can feel his presence.
“Obviously watching him play is very good because you take tips from him into your game. Seeing him live in the flesh, you can see what you actually need to do.
“The way when there’s pressure coming towards him, he does some reverse turn and then plays to the other side to get him out of pressure.”
In the pressure-cooker environment of football at the elite level, how does one relax?
In Nallo’s case, it’s the simple activity of going out for a walk – calm as you like.
He explains: “It’s just stress relief. Just walking around, minding my own business, fresh air and that. They’re around 30 minutes just walking around the area, headphones, music [on].”
And as our conversation reaches a natural end, Nallo offers up his aims for the immediate future.
They are typically measured as he prepares to enter what he considers to be an important third year as a Red.
He finishes: “Just be regular with the first team and see what we get from there and how far I can push on from there.”
More from our Meet the Academy series…
