Liverpool defender Joe Maguire insists his debut for the O’s was just a taster and is determined to make an impact in the league.

The 19-year-old impressed at centre-back on his first appearance for Orient in last night's Johnstone’s Paint Trophy defeat at Luton Town. Maguire has joined initially on a one-month loan and hopes to build on an encouraging debut by helping the O’s stay top of League Two.

Maguire, whose favoured position is left-back, said: “I enjoyed it and can’t wait to get back on the training ground with the team because this is just a little taster. All I can think of is Exeter on Saturday now and hopefully I can get my chance.

“That’s [experience] why I’m here. I haven’t played much first-team football at Liverpool so coming here hopefully I can get some league games under my belt.”

Maguire has been at Liverpool since the age of nine and was part of Brendan Rodgers’ squad for the pre-season tour of Australia, Thailand and Malaysia this summer.

The defender said: “I’d like to think I’m close [to first team] but Liverpool’s a big club and it’s always going to be tough so I’m just going to keep my head down and working hard.

“When you play around the likes of the Milners and the Hendersons obviously your level is going to raise as well, so that always helps.”

Former Orient player Alex Inglethorpe is the academy director at Anfield and was quick to recommend a switch to Brisbane Road.

Maguire commented: “He [Alex Inglethorpe] said at Tottenham [as a coach] he had Harry Kane and Andros Townsend here [Orient] and said it’s a big club. Obviously a few seasons ago I remember watching them in the play-offs so I knew about them anyway.

"As soon as he heard they were coming in for me he said I think you should go straight away.”

The teenager added: “Brendan [Rodgers] is working with the younger players every day. There’s always players from the under-18s, under-16s and under-21s training with the first team. I wouldn’t say there was none before that, but it was rare.

“I think it’s just a mutual agreement that I knew I needed first-team football and needed to experience playing against men so he was happy with it straight away and just told me to go out and enjoy myself.”