Sepp van den Berg has not played for Liverpool in four years and is currently on loan at Mainz in the Bundesliga.
When Liverpool beat Bayern Munich and Ajax to sign Sepp van den Berg in 2019, it seemed like they had found one of the best young defenders in Europe.
The Dutchman was only 17 when he joined from PEC Zwolle after one season in the Eredivisie.
Van den Berg, who cost £1.3m, initially thought the interest from Anfield was a joke, saying: “I was really happy and, to be honest, I was a little bit scared at first because such a big club had interest in me. I couldn’t believe it.”
But Jurgen Klopp and the Liverpool scouting team clearly saw something in him as he made his debut just a few months later in the Carabao Cup.
Van den Berg also played in a famous 5-5 draw with Arsenal later in the competition, as well as in the FA Cup, but that has been as good as it’s got for the defender at Anfield.
In fact, it is now four years since the 22-year-old’s last competitive appearance for the Reds.
Van den Berg had a good loan spell with Preston North End in 2021/22 in the Championship and came back to Merseyside hoping for more chances.
He did train with the first-team squad in pre-season that summer but was then sent out to Germany, first to Schalke and now Mainz. He’s been a regular player for Mainz this season, showing off his skills in the air by winning the second-most aerial duels in the whole Bundesliga. He still has three years left on his Liverpool contract but it looks like he might be leaving this summer.
Liverpool are likely to bring in new defenders as Joel Matip is set to leave for free, but Jarell Quansah’s rise has pushed Van den Berg further down the pecking order behind first-choice pair Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate.
“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,” Van den Berg told Voetbal Nieuws.
“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 Konate are not easy to beat. I know it will be hard.”
If he does leave Liverpool, Van den Berg has said he’d like to stay in Germany or join another foreign league, rather than go back to his home country of the Netherlands. For now, he’s focusing on keeping Mainz in the Bundesliga.
The Dutch player scored a goal on Saturday, helping his team win against Augsburg. However, Mainz is still in a tough spot, only three points away from the bottom ands even points from safety.
