Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp used the September international break to pay a visit to his former club Mainz, where he was greeted with a rousing reception from their supporters.
The 56-year-old attended the Bundesliga side’s 2-0 friendly win over Duisburg on Saturday at their former Bruchwegstadion home, where their famous Sudtribune stand is set to be demolished.
Aside from returning to the club where he cut his managerial teeth in the 2000s, the Reds boss might also have been keeping a close watch on one player in particular.
As noted by The Mirror, Klopp today had the chance to view Sepp van den Berg up close, with the Liverpool defender on loan at Mainz for the season. The Dutchman started the match this afternoon.
The 21-year-old joined Liverpool in 2019 but has made only four senior appearances for us so far, as many as he’s already racked up for Mainz (Transfermarkt).
The defender is back in Germany after cruelly having a promising loan spell at Schalke 04 last season ravaged by a serious injury which sidelined him for several months, restricting him to just nine outings for the Gelsenkirchen side (Transfermarkt).
The early signs with Die Nullfünfer are that Van den Berg will get plenty of opportunities to impress if he can stay injury-free, which in turn should help his cause when it comes to finally trying to make the breakthrough at Anfield.
With four senior centre-backs already at Liverpool and Jarell Quansah getting game-time as well, the Dutchman could have a lengthy queue ahead of him when he returns to Merseyside, but circumstance may yet hand him his big break.
In the meantime, hopefully he can make the most of his season at Mainz, where Klopp will have taken a good look at his performance today.
Ep89 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: EOTK Insider with Neil Jones🎙️