Liverpool have signed their first player of Indian heritage, agreeing a two-and-a-half year professional deal with youth star Yan Dhanda.

The 17-year-old, who was born in Birmingham, joined the Reds' youth ranks at the age of 14 in a £200,000 deal from West Bromwich Albion and has impressed, winning the up-and-coming player award at the British Asian Football Awards in 2013.

According to the Evening Standard, Dhanda had set his sights onto breaking into the Liverpool first team by the age of 20, saying: "That is the dream but I am a million miles away from that now so I just have to keep my head down and work as hard as I possibly can every day."

Dhanda is only the second British Asian player to earn a Premier League deal after Swansea City defender Neil Taylor.