Liverpool defender Sepp van den Berg is to return to Championship side Preston North End next season after impressing at Deepdale this year.
Van den Berg made 16 appearances (15 starts) in the league for Preston in the second half of last season since joining them on February 1st.
Still only 19, the former PEC Zwolle centre-half did enough to impress the Preston coaching staff and, thus, they have requested a 12-month extension to Van den Berg’s loan deal which will keep him at Deepdale for the duration of next season.
Van den Berg is also a Netherlands U19 international having played six games for his country, scoring twice. He has played just four times for Liverpool since joining in the summer of 2019. Those appearances were in the EFL Cup and the FA Cup.
With Preston often using a 3-4-1-2 formation, the youngster has been used mainly on the right-hand side. Van den Berg has played mostly as a right-wing back for The Lilywhites. On rare occasions, he has been used on the right of the three-man defence.
Jürgen Klopp will most likely have a senior centre-back listing of Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Ibrahima Konaté, Joël Matip, and Nat Phillips available next season. That means that at least one more season on loan at a club like Preston certainly seems like the best option for a player of Van den Berg’s quality for now.
We wish Sepp all the best for the season ahead and hope he gains more invaluable experience as a regular part of the first team.
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