Despite missing seven key players, Liverpool completed a clean sweep of their tour of the United States. Victories over Real Betis, Arsenal, and Manchester United have set the tone for the Reds to have a successful start to the Arne Slot era. With those missing rejoining the squad on Tuesday, May 6, the former Feyenoord manager will finally be able to work with a full squad. Nearly half of the squad involved against Manchester United will struggle for playing time at Anfield this season. Last Word on Football looks at five players on the fringes of Liverpool’s squad and evaluates their future.
Liverpool Pre-Season Tour: Five Players Who Could Depart This Summer
Sepp van den Berg
Sepp van den Berg played a big role in all three games on tour, starting alongside Jarell Quansah against Betis and Arsenal and replacing Ibrahima Konate at halftime against Manchester United. The 22-year-old has spent the last three and a half seasons on loan and has used the US tour to showcase his improvement to Liverpool’s new coaching staff.
Read More: Five Liverpool Youngsters to Watch in Pre-Season Including ‘Breakout Talent’
The Dutch centre-back was among the best young defenders in the Bundesliga last season and returned to Anfield looking to finally break into the first-team. However, the emergence of Quansah last season has seen van den Berg fall to fifth in the pecking order at centre-back. With Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez back in training this week, the 22-year-old will see his playing time limited for the rest of the pre-season.
Van den Berg has spoken about his desire to play regular first-team football and not sit on the bench at Anfield. He’s been valued at £20 million by Liverpool’s hierarchy. Unless the Reds face a serious injury to a defender like they did with Joel Matip last season, it is hard to see the 22-year-old getting regular minutes in the Premier League. After three years of loans, it is time for the Dutchman to find a permanent home.
Fabio Carvalho
Fabio Carvalho’s performances in the US were a big talking point of the Reds’ tour. The Portuguese attacking midfielder shone on the left wing and scored quality goals against Arsenal and Manchester United. His threatening run allowed Harvey Elliot to find him with an impressive chip before he calmly scored Liverpool’s second against the Gunners. In the next game, his neat footwork fooled multiple Red Devils defenders before he beat Andre Onana with a low-driven strike.
Read More: Joe Gomez or Ibrahima Konate: Which Centre-Back Will Start for Liverpool?
The 21-year-old’s preseason has continued his return to form that started at Hull City last season. Carvalho scored nine goals in 20 games for the Tigers after a disastrous 2023 where he struggled for game time at Liverpool and then RB Leipzig. During the 2022/23 season, Carvalho managed just four Premier League starts for the Reds. A repeat of that this season will hinder the attacking midfielder’s development.
In the pre-season, Carvalho has played as a left winger. However, with Luis Duiz, Cody Gakpo, and Diogo Jota all capable of playing on that side, the 21-year-old has a fight on his hands for regular playing time. A loan in the Premier League may be the best option, as this will allow the Portuguese midfielder to increase his value and develop.
Ben Doak
Ben Doak came into last season with high hopes: the winger had a great preseason and scored in a 4-0 win over Leicester City. Instead, the 2023/24 campaign was a year of frustration for the Scotsman. He struggled in his first competitive start for the club against LASK and failed to impress in other appearances against the Foxes, Toulouse, and USG. Doak then sustained a serious knee injury and wouldn’t play another minute for club or country.
Read More: Grading Every Liverpool Player at the 2024 Copa America Including ‘Integral Player’
This year, Doak has had a much quieter preseason. The 18-year-old has appeared from the bench in all three games as he looks to regain fitness and form. The Scotsman impressed against Betis after replacing Mohamed Salah;
he completed both of his dribble attempts and looked like the man he had come on for.
Doak needs to spend the first half of this season playing regular football and building up his fitness with Liverpool’s youth teams. This may lead to first-team opportunities in the cups where the Scotsman needs to do better than in 2023/24. If he impresses during the first half of the season, the 18-year-old should be sent on loan in January to get his first real taste of first-team football.
Tyler Morton
Tyler Morton is looking to level up after two impressive seasons in the Championship with Blackburn Rovers and Hull City. The 21-year-old has got some regular senior football under his belt and now needs to work out his future at Anfield. In his brief appearances for the first team in 2021/22, the England U21 international was used as a holding midfielder. However, with three goals and five assists for Hull last season, the Reds midfielder has proved he is more than that.
Read More: Grading Every Liverpool Player at Euro 2024 Including ‘Standout Star’
In Liverpool’s preseason, Morton has played about 15 minutes with the actual first team. That came when he replaced Wataru Endo at halftime against Betis. This may be due to Liverpool missing Alexis Mac Allister and lacking depth in defensive midfield. First-team football isn’t likely for the 21-year-old at Anfield so he needs to find a move away.
Morton has been the subject of interest from RB Leipzig, Eintracht Frankfurt, Feyenoord, and Sevilla and any of those moves would make sense permanently. If the 21-year-old doesn’t want to give up his dream of making it at Anfield yet, a move to a lower Premier League club would aid his development.
Wataru Endo
A more established first-team player than others on this list, Wataru Endo was one of last season’s success stories. Signed for just £16.4 million, the 31-year-old won the hearts of fans with his battling midfield performances. However, the former Stuttgart man did not end the season well and questions have been asked about how well he suits Slot’s style.
Read More: Chelsea Set to Lose Another Academy Talent to PL Opposition
Endo struggled against Betis, giving away the ball in dangerous areas, and was replaced by Dominik Szoboszlai for the next game. When the Hungarian missed the Manchester United game with fatigue, the 31-year-old still didn’t start with Ryan Gravenberch preferred instead. It seems the Japanese midfielder has a battle on his hands to convince Liverpool’s new manager that he’s good enough for the new style.
If it’s decided that Endo is not in Slot’s plans this season, Liverpool need to sell the 31-year-old while they still can. At his age, the Japanese international is only going to decrease in value. The Reds have already rejected a bid of £11.8 million by Marseille and may give the midfielder a chance to adjust during the first half of the season.
A disrupted preseason and a change of style has presented Liverpool’s squad with lots of questions and little answers so far. All eyes will be on the impressive Slot as he solves them.
