22-year-old Liverpool loanee was just named in ‘Team of the Month’ alongside Jude Bellingham

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Liverpool sent a plethora of players on loan already this season, but not all of them have fared well.

The most disappointing loan spell so far has been Fabio Carvalho’s at RB Leipzig – with the Reds recalling him six months early.

However, it’s not all been doom and gloom on the loan front for Liverpool. Some of the club’s youngsters have been making positive progress and catching the eye at their clubs.

One of them in Sepp van den Berg has even merited some impressive recognition.

The Dutchman, had a torrid spell while on loan at Schalke last season. He spent the majority of the season injured and was then relegated from the Bundesliga. This summer he joined Jurgen Klopp’s former club, Mainz, and his fortune seems to have turned for the better.

Despite Mainz struggling in the Bundesliga, Van den Berg has been impressive and has established himself as one of the best young centre-backs in the league.

Sepp van den Berg – Team of the Month

So impressive has he been that Van den Berg was named in U21 Team of the Month from Europe’s top five leagues for December.

According to WhoScored, Van den Berg earned a 7.36 rating with his performances during the month. This was enough to gain him a spot in a prestigious looking under-21 team alongside the likes of Jude Bellingham, Florian Wirtz and Michael Olise.

It’s debatable whether Van den Berg still has a long-term future at Liverpool. His contract expires in 2026 at Anfield, and at 22-years-old he is getting to the age where he should be ready for Klopp’s first team.

With Jarell Quansah having broken into the first team this season, that looks unlikely. Especially, as the Reds will look to strengthen in the centre-back department at some point during the January or summer window as well.

Nonetheless, Van den Berg’s performances in the Bundesliga will still be hugely beneficial to Liverpool. The more he catches the eye, the more interested parties there will be to take him on a permanent deal and the higher his transfer valuation will rise.