Sepp van den Berg arrived with much fanfare in 2019, with many hailing the Dutchman as the Reds’ most promising young centre-back.
Since struggling to break into the first-team, however, the highly-rated youngster has come on leaps and bounds for Barry Lewtas’ U23 side and could be in line for a loan move to further test his recent progress.
“The report from that game will have been overwhelmingly positive. Van den Berg, alongside Koumetio, looked a different player to the one we saw for most of last season. He was stronger, louder, better balanced, more alert and in control,” Neil Jones wrote of the 19-year-old’s latest performance, in a 1-1 stalemate for the U23s against Everton, for Goal. “He looked, in short, like the player Liverpool thought they were signing.”
Many will undoubtedly be wondering what has happened to the former Zwolle teenager since helping the Reds earn a clean sheet in their FA Cup victory over Shrewsbury last term.
As far as the pecking order stands, Van den Berg couldn’t be further from the starting XI having been overlooked for the Reds’ squad in the dead rubber tie against Midtjylland back in December, with fellow starlet Billy Koumetio earning minutes.
Fortunately, it would appear that the youngster has turned a corner since the prior campaign, which would bode well for his chances of earning experience in a senior side.
“He’s been a real consistent performer for us,” U23s boss Barry Lewtas praised “He is full of confidence and playing at a really consistent level, so we are really pleased with where he is at.”
We’d love to see the Dutch defender accumulate some minutes – perhaps at a Championship club, with the likes of Harvey Elliott enjoying a fruitful season on loan – and work towards earning a place in Klopp’s first-team.