'Got the game understanding': Liverpool told they've got a young defender who could go on to play as a forward
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Liverpool have once again sent a number of promising young players out on loan for the season.
Temporary spells away from the Reds can sometimes be a bit of a gamble for the club to arrange.
But as seen by the likes of Conor Bradley and Jarell Quansah in recent times, if you find the right club for a young player to land at, it can be a very good thing for their long-term future at Liverpool.
Eyebrows were raised when Stefan Bajcetic was sent to RB Salzburg, for example, but the hope is that Bajcetic can return to Anfield next season a better and more complete players.
Other members of the academy to have been sent away are further from the first-team squad than Bajcetic, but just as Bradley in particular did, some could bridge that gap with an impressive spell on loan.
One player hoping he can make that kind of impact is Calum Scanlon. However, according to Millwall manager Neil Harris, Scanlon may have to change position in order to do so.
Calum Scanlon backed for position change
Scanlon quietly had a breakout season for Liverpool last year. Although he ultimately ended with just two senior appearances to his name, he put himself on the radar.
There were even claims in October that with Andy Robertson injured, Liverpool were considering Scanlon as his stand-in.
That did not end up happening, but the fact that the 19-year-old was in the mix at all shows just how highly rated he is at Anfield.
That reputation has largely been forged by Scanlon featuring at left-back in the academy and in his first-team appearances.
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However, after acquiring him on-loan for Championship side Millwall, Harris has claimed that he thinks Scanlon has the quality and smarts to change his position and play as a forward.
“At the moment we're focusing on Calum as a left-back option,” Harris said in quotes from Southwark News. “Liverpool predominantly see him as a left-back option and that's where we've recruited him to play.
“I think what's important is, especially while young players are adapting, in their first loan period you're trying to make life as simple and as comfortable for them.
“Could Calum play one position slightly higher? Possibly,” added the manager. “You have to look at different stages of games. For a very young man, he has got the game understanding to play higher up the pitch in terms of how we attack and defend.”
Liverpool looking at left-back solution
While Scanlon himself may possibly want to – and have the ability to – play higher up the pitch, his Liverpool career would perhaps benefit from sticking at left-back.
Although Robertson is still very much first-choice, we have already seen Arne Slot rotating him with Kostas Tsimikas this season.
As Robertson begins to head deeper into his 30’s, his fitness will have to be protected more and more and he’s likely to slow down.
Unfortunately, Tsimikas is not quite good enough to replace the Scotland captain full-time, so Liverpool will be looking for a new option.
There have been claims that Liverpool are watching Girona’s Miguel Gutierrez, but if Scanlon can shine at full-back in the Championship, then he can throw his name into the hat as a long-term option.
