Sepp van den Berg has made just four appearances for Liverpool since joining the club from PEC Zwolle for an initial £1.3m in June 2019.
Handed his debut as a last-minute substitute against MK Dons, he made his only start for the German in the 5-5 draw with Arsenal in October 2019.
Then only 17. That solitary start for Van den Berg came a whopping 1,662 days ago.
Van den Berg has spent the majority of the past three and a half years out on loan. For some, the 22-year-old will be something of a forgotten man.
He was very raw and shaky when representing the Reds first team in 2019/20, and hardly stood out at Under-23s level before departing on loan
it was telling that as Klopp lost Virgil van Dijk Joel Matip, and Joe Gomez to season-ending injuries in 2020/21, not once did he turn to the Van den Berg to fill the void.
A full campaign in the Championship followed before Van den Berg signed for Schalke on loan in August 2022
Yet a serious ankle injury limited him to just nine appearances as the German outfit suffered relegation from the Bundeslig
this season Van den Berg has re-written a script. Making 34 appearances for a struggling Mainz side, and missing only one game because of suspension
Van den Berg has been integral to Mainz putting together an eight-game unbeaten run off the back of a 8-1 thrashing away at Bayern Munich
Despite Mainz’s struggling status, the Dutchman has still been one of the standout defenders across Europe this season.
He was credited as even charting alongside some of the best central defenders in the continent’s top five leagues.
Figures collated by Comparisonator showed that Van den Berg was only bettered by William Saliba (Arsenal), Nico Schotterbeck (Borussia Dortmund), Kim Min-Jae (Bayern Munich) and Van Dijk so far this season
Van den Berg has also clocked a top speed of 34.78kmh with Mainz this season - faster than any other Liverpool centre-back
In truth, it is only since Klopp announced his decision to step down as Liverpool manager, has the notion of Van den Berg forcing his way into the Reds first team grown.
With Matip confirmed to be leaving at the end of his contract, they will likely be in the market for a new centre-back
The necessity for such a player will only grow in the near-future too, with Van Dijk set to turn 33 in July and currently out of contract next summer.
With Arne Slot set to succeed Klopp, it will certainly be interesting to see how the young defender fares under his compatriot in pre-season.
Yet Van den Berg is aware that first team opportunities back at Anfield are far from guaranteed.
In January, Van Den Berg said
I have my sights set more on abroad,” he said when asked about previous interest from Ajax.
“Certainly England or Germany. If I now go looking outside, I might also want to go to Italy or Spain.
“I have been active abroad from an early age and, never say never, but I am focusing on abroad this summer.”
"If I go back to Liverpool, they might want me to stay. If I see that I won't get much game time, then I might choose to leave. It's really important to me that I play,"
“In previous years, I didn't feel like I would be starting next to Virgil. I don't know yet what my chances will be like next summer.
“I think I'm doing well. I can handle playing at Liverpool. I can compete. But being a starter is different. Virgil and (Ibrahima) Konate are not easy to beat. I know it will be hard."
a new manager and a fresh start awaits. And if Saliba can go from ‘forgotten man’ out on loan year after year to Premier League defender, Liverpool will hope why not Van den Berg.
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