Liverpool have confirmed on their official website that Marko Grujic has completed a loan move to Portugal. The Reds midfield ace will join FC Porto on a season-long loan deal after signing for them on Tuesday evening before the Liga NOS’ transfer deadline (via liverpoolfc.com).
Grujic’s Recent Rise In German Football
Grujic managed to impress with his solid performances for the Merseysiders in the EFL Cup this season, but his contributions in midfield weren’t enough for Liverpool to stay in the competition after they lost to Arsenal on penalties earlier this month.
Recently, the Serbian midfield enforcer enjoyed a successful loan spell at Hertha Berlin where he registered nine goals and three assists in 54 appearances across all competitions. Grujic deserves a lot of credit for being a positive influence at both ends of the field for them as he averaged 1.9 tackles, 0.8 interceptions, 2.3 clearances, 1.2 shots and 1.0 dribbles per 90 minutes in the 2019-20 Bundesliga campaign. He even distributed possession relatively well in midfield as evident from his pass completion rate of 78.7% in the German first division (stats via whoscored).
However, Grujic’s career at Liverpool has come to a standstill which is why it makes sense for both the player and the club to part ways with each other temporarily with the hope that he can come back as a stronger version of himself next summer.
What Does The Serbian Midfielder Offer On The Field?
Standing at 1.91m, the eight-time Serbian international can be a towering presence at the centre of the park. He excels at using his strength and high work-rate to dominate the midfield battle. Grujic is also a composed dribbler with the ball and can even make himself useful by making some crucial clearances for his team at the back. However, he needs to add more goals and assists to his name if he has the ambition to become a world-class two-way midfielder in the years to come.
Does Grujic Have A Future At Anfield?
Grujic has all the skillset required to have a successful loan spell with FC Porto this season. However, he is nowhere near good enough to rival any of Jurgen Klopp’s current options in midfield. The Serbian international’s contract at Anfield runs out in the summer of 2023. Therefore, Grujic still has plenty of time to prove his worth and stake a claim in Liverpool’s first-team in the future. However, for that to happen, he will now have to concentrate on having a productive season under the stewardship of Sérgio Conceição at the Estádio do Dragão.
At 24, Grujic is about to enter the prime years of his football career, which means that he is only going to get better with each year. All in all, it seems like the ex-Red Star Belgrade talent could still have a future at Merseyside if he works hard on taking his game to another level.
