Among them was one who was signed by Liverpool just after the Champions League triumph in the 2019 summer transfer window. When Sepp van den Berg arrived as a 17-year-old at Anfield, the towering young Dutch center-back was immediately compared to his compatriot in the first team.
After an impressive season playing senior football at PEC Zwolle, Van den Berg was regarded as one of the best up-and-coming defenders of his generation. So far the 21-year-old is yet to meet those expectations, but he is gradually building his career at Anfield. Currently on loan at Mainz in the Bundesliga, Van den Berg has started the season well despite his side’s poor start to the campaign. He is not the only Van den Berg, though, who has caught the eye so far this season.
Sepp has a younger brother called Rav who joined Middlesborough last summer, where currently Manchester United legend Michael Carrick is attempting to lead the club back to the Premier League. And Rav has played a key role in the club’s ambitious efforts playing 12 games so far in all competitions.
A tall and towering player just like his older brother, Rav is 19 years old, and he is capable of playing both as a center-back and as a full-back. Under Carrick, he has mainly been used as a right-back, and he’s been putting in some excellent performances including starring in an important victory over top-of-the-league Leicester City most recently. With experience as a holding midfielder as well, Rav is clearly a player to watch. He’s already an U21 international for the Netherlands and the way he has been able to settle into English football with so much ease at such a young age is encouraging.
Raz van den Berg is the brother of Liverpool loanee, Sepp. (Image: Jeroen van den Berg/Soccrates/Getty Images) In the past, as per Gazette Live, Liverpool had made an offer to Rav, which he turned down at the time in favor of guaranteed first-team football. So he has clearly been on the radar of the Reds already, and if he continues to play well in the Championship, that will not change. With more experience, and by proving himself in England’s second tier, he will also be able to close the gap between the Eredivisie and Liverpool’s first team, which is something, that his older brother wasn’t able to do before joining Liverpool. In the future, it could potentially make him better prepared for a bigger step to a club like at Anfield.
When Liverpool won the Champions League in 2019, Virgil van Dijk was at the pinnacle of his career. As the undisputed best defender in the world, there were plenty of center-backs who were likened to the now Liverpool captain.
Liverpool likes versatile players, and there is a need to add more depth to the club’s defensive options both at right-back and center-back. This is why the club should keep a close eye on the development of Rav in the Championship this season.
