Liverpool’s decision to send one player on loan and hold back another can be met with some confusion, but Jurgen Klopp‘s former coach has now explained their process.
Loan spells for young players are not a one-size-fits-all, as one may thrive in their temporary home while another could struggle to adapt or fail to win over their new manager.
Therefore, there is a lot for Liverpool to consider when they send a young player on loan and Vitor Matos, former first-team development coach, has now explained the process on the TGG Podcast.
He underlined why loans for the second half of the campaign were common as “the first part of the season you have all the competitions,” meaning there is space in the squad for exposure.
Not every player needs a loan, though, and that included Curtis Jones. The midfielder has only played for Liverpool at club level and Matos explained why that was the case.
“One, Curtis had this character that he wanted to prove himself all the time with the first team,” he said of Jones never going on loan.
“So he never wanted the pathway of proving himself out of Liverpool. That gives you already one direction.
“And second, his exposure in terms of [the] game was always good enough for his development.
“So he had space, he was having consistent exposure, and at the same time, the development was still coming.
“That gives you the feeling, okay, he can still go but there’s no need. Of course, if there’s a Premier League club who will ask him to go on loan, maybe his mind will change. But it’s always like this.”
Knowing his background of working as the bridge between the academy and the first team, Matos’ insight is fascinating when it comes to a strong link between the two setups.
He added: “In the end, I always believe that if the view of the club is that the academy forces the development of the first team.
“If there is a clear culture, if you develop the academy in a way that there is a relationship between the game style, training methodology and the first team at the same time, the player starts having decisions that way.
“They start learning why they lose with that game style and why they win with that game style.
“That creates development in a certain way, and that, of course, it helps the players to settle in the first team, so you can control the environment.”
It will surprise few that Jones did not seek to prove himself away from the club and it has paid off, playing 170 games since making his debut in January 2019.
