Djibril Cisse’s son, Prince Kobe Cisse, is breaking through in the Liverpool academy – but no longer as a striker after a surprise position switch.Whether it be Papiss Cisse or Prince’s dad, Djibril, the name Cisse is associated with long, dangly legs and Premier League goals.For a time, Prince was following in his father’s footsteps as an attacker. However, a position change in the academy has seen his progress accelerate and future first-team chances increase.Now a defender, Prince Cisse has caught the eye while captaining the under-18s in recent weeks and is now beginning to grow into his new role as a defender.Prince Cisse: The unexpected defenderWith a father, Djibril, who played 79 times, scored 24 goals and won both the Champions League and FA Cup with the Reds, son Prince initially followed in his footsteps as a young striker.However, upon his introduction to under-18 football last season, the then 16-year-old was introduced to playing at full-back by former coach Marc Bridge-Wilkinson.He played at right-back for much of the campaign, after briefly starting in attacking midfield.Nine U18 Premier League appearances were enough to convince new coach Simon Wiles, who took over in the summer, that Cisse could be an asset in defence.So far this season he has played 10 of his 11 matches at centre-half, and while the team have been conceding buckets of goals – 16 in his last four league appearances – Cisse has been given the armband for two of his last three outings.The 17-year-old’s position change hasn’t just been at Liverpool either. Playing in the Welsh youth teams, for whom he is eligible through his mother, Jude Cisse, he has featured at right-back over the last year.Coach Wiles told Liverpoolfc.com in August: “Prior to me coming in, I was watching the games and the staff were working with him and thought that they’d unleashed a new opportunity for him.“You’ve got to take your hat off to Prince himself in that situation, because sometimes if you’re not getting the game time or you might not be affecting it as much as you can do, staff as a group, Academy manager, Tosh (assistant manager Anthony Ryan) are looking at, ‘Right, what are his capabilities, what can he bring to the team, is there another opportunity where we can put him in a different position?'”Among the reasons for Cisse’s position change has been the changing nature of his physique. Now much stronger than before, he can dominate better in duels. “He’s got the physical capabilities, which is really good, and he’s good on the ball,” Wiles added.“In this moment, you’ve really got to take your hat off to him in terms of how he’s conducted himself and he’s really open-minded to this change of position.“I think if you’re getting performances and going up against opposition like he did, it’s only going to help him keep progressing.”The Trent Alexander-Arnold blueprintWhile it is surprising to see someone transform from an attacker into a centre-back, major position changes are certainly not without precedent in players’ early years.Just take Trent Alexander-Arnold, for example. He played as a midfielder at under-16 level before becoming the full-back we know today.This allowed him to bring qualities to right-back that revolutionised the position for eight years at Liverpool.Cisse could benefit in a similar way. With the early experience of playing up front, he will be calmer on the ball than his competitors at centre-back.He could potentially also know how a forward thinks, which could help him anticipate movement in the long run.What next for Cisse? Hopes for club and countryAs a regular for the under-18s and a Wales youth international, Cisse is already seeing the benefits of his move from front to back, though he is still some way off Liverpool’s first team having only turned 17 in July.But with Arne Slot lacking centre-back options, Ibrahima Konate possibly leaving and a couple of under-21 defenders unlikely to now make the grade, there could be an opportunity for Cisse to rise quickly through Liverpool’s ranks.Can he emulate his dad? Perhaps, but seemingly not in the same position!