Preston North End manager Ryan Lowe has said that he hopes to take Sepp van den Berg on-loan from Liverpool for another season.
In quotes from LancLive, Lowe said that Liverpool are taking a hands-on approach to checking on van den Berg’s progress.
“With Sepp, Liverpool were in here the other day for a full day, watching what we do and how we go about it,” said Lowe.
The North End boss then claimed that his club are in contact with Liverpool about the future of the young Dutchman. But the final decision will rest with the player.
“We’re in contact with them but again, it’s down to Sepp and what he wants to do,” said Lowe.
After a hugely successful near 18-months on loan, Liverpool should be delighted with his progress. However, it sounds as though they would be happy to let van den Berg head out again, should he want to.
Blossoming in the Championship
van den Berg’s loan spell in the Championship has been an unmitigated success.
Preston themselves have had a pretty indifferent campaign, currently sitting in 14th place. There’s no threat of relegation but promotion looks an impossibility too.
But van den Berg has been a real standout performer. He has played a part in all but one of their Championship fixtures this season, starting 35 out of 37 games.
A timid looking centre-back during his handful of appearances for Liverpool, he has coped magnificently with the physicality of the Championship.
A real option for Klopp
His level of progress had been a little disappointing since joining Liverpool in 2019. But Jurgen Klopp will be delighted with the character he has shown since joining Preston, and he could well be a decent option in the Liverpool squad next season.
Joe Gomez’s future looks uncertain and Rhys Williams is currently the fifth choice centre-back. After failing to impress in a Championship loan of his own this season, van den Berg is arguably now ahead of Williams in his development.
Nat Phillips will return once he completes his loan stint at Bournemouth, but he will more than likely leave the club on a permanent basis. All this could mean that a spot opens up for van den Berg.
Often operating on the right of a back-three for Preston, the Dutch defender has also shown an ability to get forward down the right-hand side.
This could stand him in good stead, too. Liverpool could be on the lookout for a right-back to play second-fiddle to Trent Alexander-Arnold this summer. If van den Berg can offer cover there, as well as in the middle, he could be fast-tracked into the squad.
Lowe’s comments suggest that Liverpool are keeping a very close eye on their player’s progress. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him given some minutes in pre-season to show Klopp whether he’s ready to play a part for his parent club.
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