Where do Liverpool go with Sepp van ben Berg?
The former PEC Zwolle signed for the Reds as a 17-year-old for £1.3m and was expected to step up and play a role in the first team in the next few seasons.
Sporting director Michael Edwards had to fight off competition from Bayern Munich and Ajax for the teenager, who had already made 22 first team appearances for Zwolle by his 17th birthday.
He played three Carabao Cup games last season as well as one in the FA Cup, but was left out of the team to face Lincoln as Rhys Williams was prefered.
Williams gave a good account of himself, while Billy Koumetio also appears to be above the Dutchman in the pecking order.
One illuminating moment occurred just after half time. Virgil van Dijk was withdrawn, and with natural centre-back Sepp van den Berg sitting on the bench, Jurgen Klopp turned to defensive midfielder Fabinho to slot alongside Williams.
The score was 5-0 to Liverpool.
For Klopp to avoid van den Berg when Liverpool were already running away with the match speaks volumes, as does the sudden elevation of Koumetio and Williams to positions above the Dutchman in the squad.
There doesn’t seem to be any hint of van den Berg moving away on loan, nor does there seem to be a huge appetite from Klopp to hand him minutes.
He’s still only 18 and has time on his side. Development isn’t a straight line, players wax and wane as they grow older and go through periods of good and bad form.
Training with players like van Dijk, Joel Matip and Joe Gomez is an education in of itself. Former Liverpool starlets Corey Whelan, George Johnston and Conor Masterson have all spoken about the intense nature of Klopp’s senior squad and the invaluable development opportunities it offers.
"Masterson said: “Things I learned, like from Joel Matip or van Dijk, little positioning things and how they nudge players in the air so they get the ball.”While Whelan added: “When you take a step back and watch it they’re unbelievable players and I took so much from people who were there at the time.”"
Van den Berg’s time at Liverpool certainly isn’t over and he could still become a good squad player, but his recent treatment should raise plenty of questions about what happens next for the teenager.