Talented midfielder expected to REJOIN Liverpool

Liverpool will reportedly welcome back a midfielder into their squad very soon. He's rejoining the Reds - possibly for the rest of the season.

Liverpool have made a shift this season as Arne Slot tries out a new formation for the first time. We're now seeing a 4-4-2 diamond in games - something that was far more apparent against Inter than Leeds United.

Gone are the wingers, for now, as dual strikers operate ahead of four centre-midfielders. It's an interesting move from Slot but one that does bring some issues.

For one, Liverpool only really have four senior centre-midfielders that they like to call on. Five if you wish to count Florian Wirtz in that group.

Either way, it means that Slot is picking his entire group from game to game and it's risky. One injury leaves them short and it's difficult to rotate within the system with subs.

It's something that might just be solved by a returning midfielder, though.

James McConnell on his way back

ESPN report that James McConnell is expected to return to Liverpool in January. The midfielder has been off on loan at Ajax, moving there when Johnny Heitinga took over as head coach in the summer.

However, Heitinga never really used McConnell all that much and his sacking means the young midfielder is completely without purpose in Amsterdam. They want to move on from him and that means sending him back to Anfield.

Now, that could just mean another loan move for McConnell. Liverpool will see a lot of value in sending him off to somewhere he can actually play regularly.

But their shift to a centre-midfielder-heavy formation might just convince Arne Slot to keep him around. After all, McConnell did stick with the team for a chunk of last season and Slot is reportedly a fan of his.

So could this actually be a perfect opportunity? The timing may well be correct for McConnell to have something of a breakthrough with Liverpool.

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