Coming off the back of the season’s second international break, Liverpool’s loanees looked to improve their fortunes away from Anfield. Players who moved before the season started are now approaching their tenth game with their loan club. The form has settled down and fans are beginning to see what the players can offer consistently. This week’s Liverpool loanee report includes a goalkeeper becoming a hero on his debut, a full-back returning from suspension, and a wing-back continuing his strong start to the season.
Liverpool Loanee Report: Wing-Back Continues Strong Start
Luca Stephenson – Dundee United
Luca Stephenson has been Liverpool’s stand-out loanee so far this season and he continued his fine form as Dundee United beat Hibernian 3-2 away from home. The wing-back scored a dramatic late equaliser in the 93rd minute before Meshack Ubochioma won the game for the hosts in the 99th minute. The 21-year-old showed his attacking instincts when reacting first to a deflected cross to fire home from inside the six-yard box.
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The wing-back now has two goals and two assists in six games and is showing the kind of creativity from wing-back that made Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson a key part of any opposing defence’s gameplan. Stephenson’s form has helped Dundee up to fourth in the Scottish Premiership table. They will look to continue their strong start next week when they travel to Aberdeen.
Marcelo Pitaluga – Livingston
Marcelo Pitaluga hasn’t made a single appearance in the Scottish Championship for Livingston this season and was again an unused substitute as his side won at Ayr this weekend. However, when the Liverpool Loanee Report was on international duty last week, Pitaluga finally made his debut and made his mark in the Scottish Challenge Cup.
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The Brazilian goalkeeper dived the right way and saved Robbie Thompson’s penalty in the shootout to give his side the chance to beat Inverness. A run in the cup is vital if Pitaluga is going to get game time during his loan. Pitaluga ensured he will likely play at least one more game in Scotland.
Owen Beck – Blackburn Rovers
Owen Beck returned to Championship action following a three-game suspension. It was a solid but not spectacular performance from the 22-year-old as Blackburn beat Swansea 1-0. The Welsh left-back was booked in the 60th minute for a bad foul and has to improve his discipline if he wants to continue to be a key player at Ewood Park. The win helped Rovers move into the playoff places. Next week, they host West Brom.
Ben Doak – Middlesbrough
Ben Doak played well despite his side falling to a 2-0 home defeat to Bristol City. The 18-year-old, lining up on the right wing, completed 31 of his 36 key passes and completed three dribbles as Middlesbrough’s liveliest attacker. The Scottish international has proven he can be a consistent performer in the Championship but needs to add goals and assists to his game to reach the next level.
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Doak also featured heavily for Scotland in the Nations League A games over the international break. The 18-year-old started on the right against Croatia but was withdrawn in the 77th minute as his nation fell to a 2-1 defeat. Starting on the left against Portugal, the winger again struggled to get involved with just 26 touches before he was replaced in the 67th minute.
Lewis Koumas – Stoke City
Lewis Koumas started in a new role as Stoke City drew 1-1 with Norwich City. Playing as a ten, Koumas only had 28 touches before being replaced in the 85th minute. The 18-year-old has had a difficult October but has a manager in Narcis Pelach who has kept faith in him. That level of support is vital for the Welsh international as he looks to find his form.
Calvin Ramsay – Wigan Athletic
With fellow Liverpool loanee Luke Chambers missing the game with a mixture of shoulder and back issues, Calvin Ramsay was given an opportunity to start at left-back. The natural right-back struggled in just his second start and was replaced at half-time. With Wigan suffering from so many defensive injuries, the 21-year-old will likely get another opportunity to impress in the coming weeks.
Stefan Bajcetic – RB Salzburg
After a humiliating 5-0 loss to title rivals Sturm Graz before the international break, former Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders made major changes to his side ahead of a home game against SCR Altach. One of these changes was to drop loanee Stefan Bajectic. The 19-year-old did eventually feature, coming off the bench in the 80th minute with his side 1-0 down. Bajcetic’s smart midfield play helped his side turn the game around and win 2-1. The young midfielder will likely return to the starting lineup soon.
Nat Phillips – Derby County
Nat Phillips was again brought off the bench to help Derby County secure a result. The big defender, now 27, came on in the 77th minute before Jerry Yates put the Rams ahead one minute later. The Liverpool loanee and his side couldn’t quite hold on for all three points as Mihailo Ivanovic scored an 85th-minute equaliser for the hosts. The 27-year-old has only started once in his five championship appearances this season.
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Rhys Williams – Morecambe
Things haven’t got much better for Rhys Williams at Morecambe. A 3-1 loss to MK Dons at home saw the Shrimps return to the bottom of the League 2 table. The 23-year-old hasn’t played noticeably badly in any of the games so far and his side’s 17 goals conceded isn’t terrible when compared with the rest of the league. However, with his loan set to end in January, the centre-back will be hoping he can put together enough good performances to earn an extension or a move up the football pyramid.
Injuries Start to Hit Liverpool Loanees
With Giorgi Mamardashvilli set to play on Monday night, only four Liverpool loanees will have not played senior football this weekend. Kaide Gordon was an unused substitute despite scoring the last time he played for Norwich. Fabian Mrozek is still the second choice at IF Brommapojkarna. Chambers has picked up shoulder and back injuries that will keep him out of the Wigan lineup for a few games and Calum Scanlon is still recovering from a back injury suffered in September.
Injuries are a big part of the senior game that all young players will deal with at some point. Learning how to look after your body and keep yourself on the pitch is a lesson all loanees must learn if they want to become regulars at Anfield. Stay tuned for next week’s Liverpool loanee report.
