Former Liverpool defender Sepp van den Berg has slammed the Merseyside outfit for the way they treated him, even though his exit did a massive favour for Arne Slot and FSG.
Having joined the six-time European champions from PEC Zwolle in the summer of 2019, Van den Berg was touted as a potential star for the future, having impressed in his native Netherlands.
The £1.3million signing was touted as a future star for Liverpool, but he turned out to be anything but, registering just four first-team appearances across his five-year stay.
Instead, Van den Berg spent the majority of his time contracted to Liverpool out on loan, with the Zwolle-born star having spells at Preston North End, Schalke 04 and Mainz 05, before penning a permanent move to Brentford this summer.
Speaking after his departure, a disgruntled Van den Berg reflected on his time with the Reds. He told Dutch outlet De Telegraaf: “I wasn’t looked after anymore. I felt ready [in 2021].
“I understood that I wasn’t going to play Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip, or Ibrahima Konate out of the team. But I thought I could be right behind it.
“When I didn’t get a chance again, I said, ‘Figure it out, I want to leave. You [Liverpool] didn’t exude confidence in me all this time, but you do want to hinder my future.”
While Van den Berg leaving Anfield on a permanent deal came as no surprise, eyebrows were raised at the fee Liverpool managed to land for a player they deemed surplus to requirements.
It’s reported they could secure as much as £25m for Van den Berg, who has already made more appearances for Brentford than he did throughout the entirety of his Liverpool career.
So, despite his clear grudge against the club for his treatment as a player, Van den Berg has inadvertently done Slot and FSG a huge favour, given he’s contributed to Liverpool’s transfer kitty for the upcoming windows.
It’s money they’ve already put to good use, with £12.5m splashed on Federico Chiesa – a European Championship winner with Italy three years ago.
On the pitch, Liverpool have started the season in splendid fashion, winning all but one of their six matches across all competitions so far this season.
The 19-time English champions put last weekend’s defeat in the Premier League against Nottingham Forest behind them on Saturday with a confident 3-0 hammering of Bournemouth at Anfield.
Content Source: www.express.co.uk