Arne Slot has seen enough: He's ready to send midfielder AWAY

The load has been heavy on Liverpool’s midfield options over the last season and a half.

Arne Slot clearly has his favourites - generally picking from a selection of FOUR players in the centre of the pitch. Ryan Gravenberch is a lock as is Dominik Szoboszlai while Alexis Mac Allister and Curtis Jones are one step down from indispensable.

Another midfielder - Wataru Endo - barely gets a look in these days.

But sporting director Richard Hughes made no signings in the midfield area last summer and - in fact - opted to deplete the midfield stock even further.

We saw Tyler Morton complete a permanent transfer to Lyon - where he has been a revelation - while James McConnell and Harvey Elliott also moved on loan.

Elliott is stuck in the Aston Villa wilderness - with no game time since October and Unai Emery refusing to conclude a permanent £35m deal next summer.

James McConnell sent back to Liverpool

McConnell meanwhile has returned to the club following an unsuccessful loan spell at Ajax.

With Liverpool’s midfield stretched thin this season it might have been expected that McConnell would step up and provide cover for the rest of the campaign.

The 21-year-old came back to the club injured and has been recovering during the January transfer window. However according to Lewis Steele it now appears that McConnell will be sent away from Anfield for the second half of the campaign.

McConnell to be sent on loan again

“James McConnell was recalled from Ajax earlier in the window due to him falling out of favour following the sacking of John Heitinga as manager,” his report reads.

“The midfielder returned from his stint in Amsterdam with an injury but several second-tier teams are keeping tabs in case he is fit enough to go out on loan again this week.”

McConnell has previously been on the radar of West Brom, Derby, Oxford and Swansea - who are now coached by former Liverpool staff member Vitor Matos.

At a time when the Reds’ midfield needs all the help it can get it’s perhaps a surprise that Slot hasn’t chosen to include McConnell in his plans for the remainder of the campaign.

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