On-loan midfield prospect James Balagizi will return to Liverpool to undergo tests on a suspected injury.
As per liverpoolfc.com, the 18-year-old has had to put a temporary stop to his spell at Crawley Town. Having pulled out of Crawley’s game against Stevenage last weekend, the decision has now been made to bring him back to Merseyside.
It’s reported that Balagizi will now be ‘assessed’ as Liverpool look to determine the nature of the injury.
The England U20 international had been playing well for Crawley. Hopefully the test results bring positive results for a player who was just starting to shine.
Crawley await Liverpool decision on star man
This news will come as a big blow to Balagizi himself as well as his club. Having played a part in 11 of Crawley’s 16 games this season, starting nine of them, he’s a big part of their squad.
Those 11 games have brought three goals and one assist as Balagizi gets used to the rough and tumble of League Two.
Unfortunately for the young midfielder, his temporary club find themselves at the bottom of the table. After losing 3-0 to Grimsby Town earlier this afternoon, they now have just one win from their opening 12 league games.
The Carabao Cup has offered some respite, and they’ll face Burnley in round three next month. But their league form has been desperately poor.
No blame should be attached to Balagizi for that, though. The teenager has shown great desire by heading to the fourth division for first team football and has so far done well.
But without his input, perhaps they will fall even further.
Should Balagizi be facing a spell on the side lines, a decision will have to be taken on where he goes from here. Liverpool may not be so keen on one of their best prospects being lumbered with a team struggling so badly.
On the other hand, it could be a very important experience for the young man. First, the full extent of the injury needs to be assessed. A decision on Balagizi’s immediate future is likely to depend on the outcome of that.