Sepp van den Berg has claimed that he doesn’t regret leaving Liverpool to join Schalke on-loan this summer.
Speaking to Dutch football magazine ELF Voetbal, van den Berg said he was happy to leave Liverpool to gain more first team experience.
“To be honest, I already knew during pre-season that I would be loaned out. The chance of playing time at Liverpool is of course small. It was nice that I was on the bench for four more games in the Premier League this season. But I learn the most when I play. Over the last year-and-a-half I gained a lot of experience at Preston North End in Championship. Just look at my shoulders! I have gained 10 kilos, only muscle mass,” said the defender.
“Another year in the Championship was not my preference. I spoke with Burnley, but I still wanted a step higher. The Bundesliga was my preference. I estimate the Bundesliga a step higher and Schalke is of course a people’s club in everything. It lives in all forms.
“Sixty thousand plus spectators in the stands every game, supporters travel everywhere with them and Schalke also gets a lot of attention in the media. As a child I once sat in the stands with my father. Wonderful to experience. It was also closer for me. The decision was made in no time. My first three duels here for the club have proved me right so far.”
van den Berg enjoying Bundesliga experience
It really is promising to see how well van den Berg has taken to top level football. Of course, the experience is not a new one for him. He played 22 times in the Eredivisie for PEC Zwolle aged sixteen and seventeen.
Now twenty, expectations are a little higher of him. Having come off the back of a fantastic 18 months with Preston North End, Liverpool will be looking for him to kick on yet again.
To that end, van den Berg’s decision to look higher than the Championship should be beneficial for Liverpool.
The worry of course would be that, as a young player in a new team, the Dutchman would be overlooked. So far at Schalke that hasn’t been the case.
van den Berg has played the full 90 minutes in all three of the Royal Blues games he’s been eligible for since his arrival.
The latest of those was the biggest nod yet to his burgeoning reputation. Sepp started in the heart of defence as his new team travelled to Borussia Dortmund for their biggest game of the Bundesliga season.
He didn’t end up on the winning side that day, but the experience will have been a massive one for him.
If he can continue to play and do well for Schalke, he could present himself as a real option for Liverpool next season. With Joel Matip and even Virgil Van Dijk now the wrong side of thirty, Jurgen Klopp needs to start preparing for the future. From what he’s shown so far, van den Berg could well be that future.
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