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Liverpool have always been a club where young players are given a chance to prove themselves. Whether one comes up through the academy, bought at a young age or sent out on loan, a youngster can always have hopes about being given a chance at Anfield.
Watching a player out on loan can be an exciting time for the fans as they can see him develop his traits as he tries to earn a place in his parent club.
Liverpool currently have 13 players out on loan. Some are youngsters waiting for their opportunity, while others are a bit older and failed to impress on Merseyside.
So which of these 13 players actually have a future at Liverpool and which loan moves have just prolonged the inevitable about a permanent departure?
Ádám Bogdán
Of all the players on this list, Bogdán’s future is the most certain - he will no longer be a Liverpool player after the end of the season.
Signed in the summer of 2015 by then manager Brendan Rodgers after his contract expired at Bolton, the Hungarian was brought in to be Simon Mignolet's understudy. After a run of poor showings from Mignolet, Rodgers' successor Jürgen Klopp gave Bogdán a chance against Watford in December 2015. But the custodian dropped the ball from a corner which lead to a Watford goal just three minutes into the game, thereby destroying his opportunity even before it started properly.
Just one more league appearance and a few more cup games were also filled with mistakes. Bogdán has never played for Liverpool since his first season at the club.
A loan spell at Wigan in 2016 was followed by another to Scottish club Hibernian last summer. Bogdán’s Liverpool contract is up in the summer which will bring an end to his nightmare Reds career.
Taiwo Awoniyi
Taiwo Awoniyi joined Liverpool's academy in 2015 and has since been sent out on loan 5 times. Stints at FSV Frankfurt, N.E.C., Gent and two separate loans to his current side Royal Excel Mouscron have seen the 21-year-old try and gain some vital first team experience.
Awoniyi has enjoyed a successful season scoring 9 league goals so far in the Belgian First Division, but the reality is Awoniyi will most likely be shipped out sooner rather than later. Awoniyi will be 22 at the start of next season and he is clearly not Liverpool material.
Kamil Grabara
Kamil Grabara joined Liverpool from his native Poland in 2016. He has since impressed with the U-23’s, earning himself a regular place at Melwood training with the first team. Earlier this season, the 20-year-old made the matchday squad for the first time, sitting on the bench against Chelsea in the League Cup.
Grabara signed a 5-year contract in December of 2017 and has caught the eye with his great performances at youth level. He was sent out on loan to Danish side Aarhus Gymnastikforening last month as he looks to develop his career. A player who has shown positive early signs, it's hard to say whether he has a future at Liverpool, but it would be highly improbable to find him at the club in a few years time.
Pedro Chirivella
Same Liverpool fans may be surprised to hear that Pedro Chirivella is only 21 years old as it feels like he has been around since forever. A consistent feature in the youth sides since his arrival in 2014, Chirivella is also a regular at Melwood. He even has a few first team appearances to his name in the Europa League, FA Cup and has also played once in the Premier League. But Chirivella clearly isn't good enough and his three loan spells in 2 years will most likely result in his permanent move away from the club.
Ovie Ejaria
When Ovie Ejaria started to get involved with the first team alongside fellow youth players Trent Alexander-Arnold and Ben Woodburn, fans were just as excited for his future as they were for the other two.
Signed from Arsenal’s academy in 2014, Ejaria impressed in pre-season games ahead of the 2016/17 campaign, thereby earning his League Cup and Premier League debuts; but he has failed to impress since. A lacklustre loan move at Sunderland in January 2018 was followed by a nightmare spell at Rangers last summer; his loan spell at Ibrox was cut short. Ejaria, who is currently on loan at Reading, clearly has talent, but he is simply not good enough for Liverpool.
Whether he leaves permanently or is loaned out a few more times is debatable, it's almost certain that he will not make anymore Liverpool appearances.
Sheyi Ojo
Joining Liverpool’s academy in 2011 at the age of 14, there were high hope for Sheyi Ojo to develop into a top player. After doing well at youth levels and making the bench a few times, Ojo had loan spells both Wigan and Wolverhampton Wanderers. In January 2016, with Liverpool having an injury crisis, Ojo was recalled from Wolves. He featured in the FA Cup and scored his first goal for the club before making 8 Premier League appearance in the 2016/17 season. During that time, his pace, trickery and direct play impressed the fans. But since then, he has failed to impress during his loan stints at Fulham and Remis.
Ojo is a decent player with good qualities, but just like many on this list, he isn't a Liverpool material.
Allan
Allan’s Liverpool career has been a very strange one so far. Signed from Brazilian outfit Internacional in 2015, Allan is still yet to make a single appearance for the club. He has been sent out on loan six times - the reason behind it is his struggles to obtain a work permit.
The situation has been a massive inconvenience for both the player and the club, and now time may be running out. Klopp could grow frustrated and impatient regarding the situation surrounding the 21-year-old.
Allan’s loan spells have taken him to Finland, Belgium, Germany and Cyprus. His disappointing spell at Eintracht Frankfurt was ended recently as he returned to Brazil with Fluminense, where he will be hoping to get this career back on track.
If his work permit issues aren’t resolved soon, Allan’s future will definitely not be at Anfield.
Danny Ings
After a good debut Premier League season with Burnley, which saw him score 11 goals, then Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers brought in Danny Ings. After a slow start, Ings scored 2 goals, one of which was against local rivals Everton. Things looked great for the striker at his new club but unfortunately, this was as good as it got.
In the first training session under new manager Klopp, Ings suffered a serious injury. Ings would return on the final day of the 2015/16 season but was again injured in October. After almost a year on the sidelines, Ings returned to Klopp’s squad but he was only a bit part player.
Last summer Ings was sent out on loan to his boyhood club Southampton, with an obligatory purchase option set at £20 million at the end of the season. So obvious,ly his Liverpool career is over.
During his time at Anfield, Ings played only 25 games in all competitions; so a move away was best for all parties involved.
Nathaniel Clyne
Nathaniel Clyne’s Liverpool career has taken a drastic turn in the last 18 months. During Klopp’s first two seasons at the club, Clyne was ever-present, playing 33 and 37 league games respectively. He was one of Liverpool’s most consistent players and always gave his all.
But before the 2017/18 season, the right-back suffered a back injury which would keep him out of the team for most of the season. It wasn't until March when Clyne finally returned to the matchday squad, but during his long spell out, academy product Trent Alexander-Arnold claimed his spot and made the right-back position his own.
After making 70 Premier League appearances in his first two seasons at the club, Clyne only managed 7 since then. When Klopp sent Clyne out on loan to Bournemouth this January, Liverpool were light at the right back position but clearly, the manager respected the player's wish to play regular first-team football.
Whenever he has stepped out onto the pitch for the club, even during the game against Manchester United in December, Clyne has always done the job asked of him, but at this point, Alexander-Arnold has overtaken him and rightfully so. Clyne would definitely have a future at the club if he is willing to play second fiddle to the youngster. But the recent loan move suggests that the 27-year-old is keen for regular game time and could leave Liverpool permanently in the summer.
Loris Karius
Loris Karius will never play for Liverpool ever again, for obvious reasons. Signed in the summer of 2016, the German shot-stopper was just coming off a great season with Mainz where he was voted the Bundesliga's second best goalkeeper after Manuel Neuer. So when Klopp signed the keeper from his former club, fans rejoiced as they were finally going to see the end of Simon Mignolet’s erratic reign between the sticks.
But a broken hand in pre-season set the tone for the rest of his Liverpool career. Having had to wait until late September to make his debut, he slowly became the club's number one choice in goal. But two mistakes in December came with vigorous media scrutiny causing Klopp to take Karius out of the spotlight as the manager reinstated Mignolet between the sticks. The Belgian would remain number one for a year before Karius finally got another chance at the start of 2018.
As the new number one, Karius did show signs of improvements and was becoming a good goalkeeper. He made wonderful saves on numerous occasions as Liverpool finally looked to have a keeper, who would save them points rather than cost them.
As the season was drawing to a close, it looked like Karius had finally won his place and would be Liverpool’s goalkeeper for the next season. But that all changed in Kiev. Starting in what was and will most likely be the biggest match of his career, two Karius howlers gifted Real Madrid 2 goals and the Champions League trophy.
Although efforts were made by Klopp to reignite the Germans career there was no coming back from that nightmare. All the focus during pre-season was on Karius as he continued to make mistakes. He was a broken man.
With Liverpool splashing the cash to sign Alisson last summer, the club finally have a good goalkeeper. Karius, who is unlikely to play for Liverpool ever again, is currently at Besiktas on a 2-year loan deal. Karius is still a decent keeper, but he will never be a great one and that night in Kiev proved it.
Ryan Kent
Making his way through the youth ranks since the age of 7, Ryan Kent joined Liverpool's first team in 2015. Since then he has been spent out on loan five times. Currently at Rangers and playing under Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard, Kent has been one of the Gers' best players so far this season.
Kent has thus far scored 5 goals this season and is Rangers’ creative spark. When he recently spent a period on the sidelines with an injury, Rangers’ level instantly dropped.
Kent is a fast, direct winger who can cause problems to the full-backs with his pace and dribbling ability. Liverpool currently have only two true wingers - Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mané. Obviously, he is yet to prove himself at a big stage but Kent is very different from those two players and offers something Liverpool currently don't have.
It wouldn't be a risk for Klopp to give Kent a few chances next season. Pre-season will be huge for the 22-year-old, and if he can impress this summer, then maybe he will finally earn his Premier League debut for Liverpool next season.
Marko Grujić
Klopp’s first signing at the club, big things were expected from Marko Grujić. After arriving at the club in the summer of 2016, 6 months after the transfer was finalized in January, Grujić massively impressed in pre-season. The Serbian showed a real eye for goal as he endeared himself to the Liverpool fans.
But after such an impressive pre-season, Grujić never got a real chance to earn his spot in the Liverpool team. He has thus far managed only made 8 Premier League appearances for the Reds.
In search of first-team experience, Grujić has enjoyed successful loan spells away from Anfield. Fist at Cardiff where he spent the second half of last season playing a key role in their promotion to the Premier League, and now at Hertha Berlin.
In the Bundesliga, Grujić has shown that he can be a good player in a European top five league. His season has been hampered with injuries, allowing him to play just 13 league games, but whenever he has stepped on to the pitch, he has been great.
Grujić has proved to be a real all-round box-to-box midfielder, making significant contributions both in attack and defence. Liverpool have some great midfielders but just like Kent before, Grujić’s current loan move has proved that he at least deserves a chance to prove his worth at Anfield. He could be a real asset as Fabinho’s understudy.
Harry Wilson
Of all the players Liverpool have sent out on loan this season, Harry Wilson is by far the one who excites the Reds fans the most. On loan at Frank Lampard’s Derby County, Wilson has been in fantastic form in the Championship.
Being with Liverpool since the U-9 level, Wilson has outgrown youth level football. Whenever he featured for the U23’s, he clearly looked head and shoulders above the rest. So when he earned a loan move to Hull City in January 2018, it was his first chance to show he was good enough for first-team football.
In his short stint at Hull, the Welsh international became a fan favourite scoring 7 goals. He was one of the Tigers' best players, despite playing only 13 games for the club.
Wilson, who was again sent out on loan at the start of this season, has continued to blossom in the Championship and has not only continued his fine play in the Championship. Derby are currently fighting for a playoff spot and Wilson is the main driving force behind that push.
So far this season Wilson has scored 11 goals in all competitions while setting up two more; he has also scored once for Wales. The youngster is a versatile player and can play in a variety of positions. But the thing that has caught the eye the most about Wilson is the quality of his goals.
Out of his 12 goals in total, nine have been from outside the box, with six of those being free kicks. He's a true dead-ball specialist, something which Liverpool currently lack.
At 21 years of age, and a season and a half of first-team football under his belt, albeit in the Championship, Wilson may feel like it's now or never regarding his Liverpool career. If Klopp isn’t prepared to give the player a chance to prove himself next season, then a few Premier League sides will undoubtedly want to sign Wilson. The youngster, who has proven that he is way too good for youth football, is currently bossing in the Championship. So, the next logical step for him is Premier League football, be it with Liverpool or any other team.
Wilson frankly deserves his chance to shine at Anfield, owing to his performances in the last year or so.
