Sepp van den Berg has been waiting for his chance at Liverpool, and recent events suggest he might finally be on the verge of breaking into the senior squad.
Despite being with the Reds for five years, the 22-year-old has only made four appearances for the club, spending much of his time on loan. Now, back at the AXA Training Centre, he’s already making a strong impression on manager Arne Slot.
According to James Pearce from The Athletic, Liverpool has turned down offers from Mainz and Wolfsburg for the £20 million-rated defender, indicating that he will get his opportunity during pre-season. Van den Berg demonstrated his physical prowess by clocking the highest average speed during running tests over the weekend. The new coaching staff at Liverpool also believes his technical skills have significantly improved during his loan in the Bundesliga last season.
Earlier in June, Van den Berg hinted in an interview with De Telegraaf that he wanted to leave Liverpool permanently, suggesting he had no future at Anfield. However, the young Dutchman has shown determination and made an immediate impact on Slot at Kirkby. If he can continue to impress during the upcoming pre-season friendlies, he might secure a spot in the first team once the competitive season begins.
Van den Berg can draw inspiration from Jarell Quansah, who made a breakthrough for Liverpool last year. At this time last year, Quansah had never played a senior game for the club. By June, he was on standby for England’s Euro 2024 squad.
With Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, and Ibrahima Konate set to take a break after their involvement in the Euros, Liverpool will be short on centre-back options at the start of their pre-season tour in the USA. This presents a golden opportunity for Van den Berg to prove his worth and establish himself as a key player at Anfield over the next year and beyond. Let’s hope he seizes this chance and becomes a mainstay for Liverpool.
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