Liverpool are a busy club this summer with a lot of incomings and outgoings already confirmed. The manager has already added as many as many as 7 players to his squad this summer and is still looking to add depth to some of the positions. However, it has been a hard time for Klopp who is also looking into players who could be sold before the start of the next season. One such player who has left the club this summer is Jon Flanagan. The Scouse favourite full-back is the first player since Steven Gerrard to be born and bred in Liverpool to play for the club’s academy and make the senior side. However, it is now revealed that the England international has completed a switch to Burnley, a newly promoted Premier League side on a loan deal ahead of the next season. So does the Liverpool full-back have any future at the club in the coming seasons?
The first clue to answer that statement is the fact that Liverpool let him go on a loan and not on a permanent deal with a buy-back clause like Jordon Ibe or Brad Smith. The duo moved to AFC Bournemouth on permanent deals with a buy-back clause that allows Klopp to sign them back at a minimum price if they turn out to reach their potential in the coming years. But Flanagan, on the other hand, is out on a loan and will definitely return to Liverpool at the end of the season.
Moving on, the 23-year old was in superb form in the 2013-14 season under Brendan Rodgers at the end of which he picked up a nasty injury that kept him out of the game for 18 long months. He came back into professional football after fighting his injury and impressed in his outings for the side under Klopp but the manager decided that it was better for his future to have regular game time at another Premier League club. With the current situation at the club, it may have been the best call for all parties involved.
Yes, Liverpool are in search of a first choice full-back this summer but Klopp does not see Flanagan taking that spot in the starting XI at least for the next season. Liverpool needs a player who can dominate the place in the squad and Flanagan is still far away from turning into such a player.
He has all the attributes that make him a useful player in the Premier League but his lack of experience and game-time in recent times has seen Klopp ship him away to Burnley. At Burnley, Flanagan will get loads of game time to prove himself and if he can realize his potential in his favorite position, there is no doubt that Klopp will give him chances at Anfield in years to come.
But at the moment, Connor Randall and Trent Alexander Arnold are set to play as deputies to Nathaniel Clyne at the right back spot while Alberto Moreno and James Milner (as revealed by Klopp) are expected to play in the left back spot. With no European football, Klopp does not need too many options for one position next season. Flanagan deserves better than a place on the bench or as an understudy and deserves to play regular football every week which he will get at Burnley. He would not have had the opportunity to do so at Liverpool making his move to Burnley a sensible one for all parties.
The 23-year old will know that he is still a Scouser and that he will be able to move back into the Liverpool side if he proves himself at Burnley giving him the extra determination to do well in the league next season. These are exciting times for Liverpool and if they can create a strong base for Klopp to work in years to come, the club will easily find the glory days it seems to have lost since the turn of the decade.
So, Liverpool fans do you think Jon Flanagan has a future at Liverpool?
