Sepp van den Berg has made just four appearances for Liverpool since joining the club from PEC Zwolle for an initial £1.3m in June 2019.
While he has also been an unused substitute under Klopp on six occasions, including the first four matches of the 2022/23 season with the most recent being the 9-0 thrashing of AFC Bournemouth, he has spent the majority of the past three and a half years out on loan. For some, the 22-year-old will be something of a forgotten man.
A full campaign in the Championship followed before Van den Berg signed for Schalke on loan in August 2022. Yet a serious ankle injury limited him to just nine appearances as the German outfit suffered relegation from the Bundesliga. Meanwhile, Van den Berg has been integral to Mainz putting together an eight-game unbeaten run off the back of a 8-1 thrashing away at Bayern Munich, most memorably winning 3-0 at home to Borussia Dortmund last time out.
In truth, it is only since Klopp announced his decision to step down as Liverpool manager, has the notion of Van den Berg forcing his way into the Reds first team grown. “I have my sights set more on abroad,” he said when asked about previous interest from Ajax. “Certainly England or Germany. If I now go looking outside, I might also want to go to Italy or Spain.
Of course, this season Jarell Quansah has proven it is not impossible to break into Liverpool’s senior centre-back ranks. And Van den Berg does boast an additional advantage when it comes to catching Slot’s eye beyond a shared nationality. Historically, players have found it difficult to forge a long-term career at Anfield after departing on loan. But that has started to change in recent years under Klopp.