One young Liverpool star has been a bit of an enigma and as he caught the eye against Everton’s U21 team, he sent a timely reminder of his future needing to be resolved.
With just over two weeks left of the transfer window, all the attention is on incomings for Liverpool. But there are futures to be decided in the club’s own squad as well, and that was made abundantly clear on Monday night as the club’s U21 side delivered a demolition job against Everton team in the Premier League 2.
Among the stars of the game was a certain Mateusz Musiałowski, whose name has been a bit of an enigma for the club’s supporters over the years.
Highlight reels of his mazy runs and dribbles have earned him the nickname the ‘Polish Messi’ because of his low center of gravity and overall he has always produced the goods at academy level.
He has sometimes been a little inconsistent, but that is to be expected of a young player.
And unlike some of his peers, despite his impressive outings at academy level, his performances have never translated to first-team opportunities.
For one reason or another, Musiałowski has generally been left out of Jürgen Klopp’s pre-season squads. He featured in just one game back in the summer of 2022 against Strasbourg, but that was mainly as part of a Liverpool reserve side.
On top of that, he has never been involved in a competitive cup appearance for Liverpool either, despite Klopp giving plenty of youngsters opportunities in his position.
Yet against Everton, he showed just why he is an enigma.
Equally as brilliant as Bobby Clark, Musiałowski was sublime throughout the match and played a direct role in two of Liverpool’s goals, getting an assist and scoring a goal.
In that performance, it was difficult to see why he hasn’t been given a chance at first-team level.
At 19 years old, he is at an important point in his career now. The sort of make-or-break stage. And at his age, he needs to be playing regular first-team football.
Musiałowski has to test himself by playing regularly against adults. He has shown he is too good to be playing academy football, and in the next two weeks, Liverpool needs to resolve his future as much as the club’s first-team players.
There is a jewel in Musiałowski that may not be harnessed at Anfield, but could be harnessed elsewhere and, in the end, make a profit for Liverpool.
The natural next step would be a temporary loan. There are plenty of leagues that Musiałowski’s technical football might suit, with the Eredivisie and Belgium ideal destinations.
Much of course depends on interest as well and also hinging on an important contract renewal. Currently, contracted to the club until 2024, naturally Liverpool would extend his deal if he is loaned out. So as well as finding him a loan destination, Liverpool must also strike a contractual agreement with the young Pole.
Musiałowski deserves it. He has shown he has potential to invest in and if he can enjoy just one solid loan spell this season, Liverpool could stand to make a fruitful income from his potential sale in a year’s time.
One thing is clear, the worst situation would be if he does not extend a deal and is not sent out on loan. Keeping him in the academy for another year would do no favors to any of the parties involved, and at this stage, a sale looks unlikely, but if there is one, it would be of minimal value to Liverpool.
The clock is ticking. But there’s still time for Liverpool to get this transfer decision right.
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