The Liverpool Players Out On Loan Who Still Have A Future At Anfield

The Liverpool Players Out On Loan Who Still Have A Future At Anfield
14:47, 12 Apr 2018

Jurgen Klopp’s side is performing admirably this season and stand a great chance of going all the way in the Champions League—but there’s still more work to be done on the squad in the summer.  One piece of work is already taken care of, with Naby Keita due to arrive from RB Leipzig, but the squad still needs fleshing out somewhat more, particularly in the middle and offensive thirds of the field.

Thankfully for the Liverpool boss, he won’t need to splash out Keita-levels of money for every addition; as has been proven by Trent Alexander-Arnold this season, the club’s youth system is in rude health, producing some genuinely exciting talent—and several could be incorporated into the first-team scene next term and beyond.

Here are the four who have shown most ability and progression this term out on loan, who will hope to impress the manager in pre-season.

Harry Wilson

The most impressive loan spell goes to Harry Wilson, a tremendously talented wide forward who has seen a big upsurge in consistency and productivity this season.

Injury has hampered him somewhat over the last couple of campaigns, but he has been showcasing his best characteristics all season long, firstly with the Reds’ own under-23s and, since January, with Hull City.

Wilson netted 10 goals in the Premier League 2 before his temporary switch, but it’s in senior football that players want to make their mark—and he certainly has. Playing both on the left and the right for Hull, he has been a massive goal threat, bringing his speed and dribbling ability as well as an impressive eye for the clever pass.

Already, in just nine Championship matches he has claimed five goal and four assists, helping the Tigers away from relegation trouble.

It’s fair to say Liverpool are in need of at least one, if not two additions in the forward line this summer, especially those who can play out wide, and Wilson can be the next to step up from the Academy if he continues this kind of productivity.

Marko Grujic

The Serbian midfielder didn’t get too many opportunities under Klopp, but he has taken his opportunity on loan at Cardiff to show what he can bring to the team.

Playing mostly in a deep midfield role, his height and power has been an instrumental factor in the Welsh side’s push for automatic promotion from the Championship. Grujic has been the destroyer, the defensive protector for his team, and while he still looks prone to rash tackles and moments of poor judgement, there’s no doubt he has the aggression and the technical ability to play the role well.

The Reds have been short in that area of late with Emre Can’s longer-term-than-expected injury and, if the German moves on in the summer at the end of his contract, a squad role for a versatile midfielder who can play the holding role is certainly there to be fought for.

Grujic should continue to mature and improve, and the summer will be a key one for him in terms of making it at Liverpool.

Taiwo Awoniyi

Finally, a 20-year-old striker who many Reds fans won’t even have seen in action.

Awoniyi has been playing on loan in Belgium this season with Mouscron, after previous spells in Netherlands and Germany. As yet, the Reds don’t have a work permit for him—but a step up in fortunes and quality this season could see that change if they decide the time is right to bring him back into the fold.

Into double figures in goals this season, Awoniyi is a powerful figure who can lead the line alone, but his hold-up play and ability to bring others into the game in the final third means he’s also a source of goals for others.

The Reds want to get Awoniyi tied to a new contract before next season, but even if he heads out for a fourth spell away on loan next year, he certainly continues to impress as a player who might just take a low-key, long-term approach to offering the Reds another regular option in future.

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