Liverpool wonderkid to be REPLACED by loan signing

One Liverpool wonderkid is to be replaced by a loan signing. Things haven't worked out at all this season and it's time for a change.

Liverpool tried to take advantage of Johnny Heitinga becoming Ajax head coach by sending some players out on loan there. It's similar to what they did last season, with Stefan Bajcetic joining Red Bull Leipzig to work under former assistant Pep Lijnders, who had just taken over as head coach.

That, however, was a disaster as Lijnders didn't last six months in charge. He was sacked and Bajcetic's loan deal was cancelled - he'd spend the second half of the campaign with Las Palmas instead.

Well, history has repeated itself. Heitinga was sacked as Ajax boss this month and it immediately throws the future of two Liverpool loanees into doubt.

Viteszlav Jaros is out there and actually out of the team now despite starting regularly for Ajax at first. Then there's James McConnell, a player considered to be a massive talent at Liverpool.

James McConnell's future

McConnell has never found regular football with Ajax and has come under pressure in the press. His signing was labelled a 'surprise', in fact, as only really Heitinga pushed for it.

Now reports claim he's set to return to Liverpool in January as Ajax move on from McConnell. Voetbal Primeur reports that, as well as saying that the Dutch giants feel a loan deal would be adequate to replace the youngster.

“I’ll have to see if he’ll finish the season at Ajax. They’re already looking for a new number six,” Algemeen Dagblad journalist Johan Inan explained.

“Maybe €2m or €3m. But I think it’s highly likely that the new number six and the left back they’re looking for will be loaned out,” he added."

It's a real blow for McConnell - Ajax likely won't even find a permanent replacement for him. They'll simply want a better option than the Liverpool midfielder and someone who can replace Jordan Henderson more adequately.

It'll all be difficult for him to bounce back from, especially as there's no clear spot in the Liverpool squad. Instead, a mid-season loan elsewhere feels inevitable and hopefully the club can do a better job of finding him somewhere that McConnell will actually play.

Regular first-team football is absolutely vital if he's to fulfil his potential. That simply must come in January.

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