Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: Liverpool, Champions League, Arne Slot, Football
Marcus Chan
Arne Slot is set to make a U-turn on transfer plans after Liverpool's defeat against PSV Eindhoven in the UEFA Champions League.
The Reds headed to the Netherlands knowing that a top-two finish in the first phase of this season's Champions League was already secured.
As a result, Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ibrahima Konate and Alexis Mac Allister were all left at home as Slot handed chances to the fringe players.
In the end, Liverpool fell to a 3-2 defeat but still managed to clinch top spot due to Barcelona's failure to win against Atalanta.
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Youngsters such as Jayden Danns, James McConnell, Jarell Quansah and Conor Bradley were all picked to start.
Meanwhile, the likes of Trey Nyoni, Tyler Morton and Amara Nallo were brought on in the second half.
Before the match, Danns, McConnell, Morton and Nyoni were linked with a loan move away to further develop.
However, midfielder McConnell has seemingly earned himself a chance at Liverpool after impressing Slot against PSV.
Speaking after the match, the Liverpool boss said: "There’s always a chance in life. And at the moment we have most of our players fit so we will have this discussion tomorrow I think between me and Richard (Hughes) about these players.
"But there’s definitely one that will not go out on loan: James McConnell. I liked him a lot today. Maybe the end result today would be good for him to go and play (elsewhere) but he is a player who hasn’t played a lot in the last six or seven months as he was injured for a while. He impressed me a lot today."
Slot continued: "He is competitive in the training sessions we had, he is always very competitive. I’m not surprised (by how he played), but you always wonder how you will react at this level.
"James plays and is competitive. He definitely deserves credit for his performance today."
McConnell, 20, is one of the most highly-rated youngsters at Liverpool, having made his senior debut under Jurgen Klopp back in October 2023.
His first competitive start for the club came in January 2024, when he started against Norwich City in the FA Cup.
The midfielder also played in last season's Carabao Cup final, which Liverpool won 1-0 against Chelsea, thanks to a late Van Dijk header.