The son of the ex-England and Liverpool defender made his first senior appearance in Wigan Athletic's EFL Cup win over Hull City
12:57, 12 Aug 2021Updated 12:57, 12 Aug 2021
James Carragher has earned praise following his senior debut in midweek.
The 18-year-old son of former England and Liverpool stalwart Jamie was handed his bow by Wigan Athletic.
He was named on the bench for the Latics in their EFL Cup first round clash at Hull City.
Wigan boss Leam Richardson handed Carragher his first professional contract just last week, having impressed when he trained with the first team throughout the summer.
The 18-year-old had followed in his father’s footsteps, beginning life at Liverpool before moving to the DW Stadium as an under-14 player. Last season, the teenage defender captained the Latics Under-18 side to the Professional Development League title and has since been rewarded for his impressive progress.
And after coming off the bench for the final 15 minutes of the draw against the Tigers, he kept the shop shut to help force penalties - with Wigan coming out on top in a marathon shoot-out.
His cameo even earned praise from a former Three Lions colleague of Carragher senior.
Speaking on Quest's EFL show, ex-striker Kevin Phillips said: "(It's) incredible, just the way he tackles.
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"It's great to see a young lad leaving a club like Liverpool because he wants to go and play football.
"Maybe there's a bit of influence from his dad, but you can just see there with his arm up (appealing) he looks like he's going to be a hot prospect.
"I'm really looking forward now to watching him develop over the years."
After penning his deal, Carragher junior said: “I’m very happy; I signed here when I was an under-14 and I’ve loved it here.
"From the minute I walked through the door I have thrived and improved as a player, so I can’t wait to carry that on."
Wigan's reward for beating Hull is a second round tie at home to fellow League One side Bolton Wanderers.
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