With all the talk this morning focusing on Raheem Sterling’s latest shenanigans, the news that Atletico Madrid fullback Javier Manquillo’s two year loan with Liverpool has been terminated early has kind of, sort of, maybe, slipped through the cracks somewhat.
The 21-year old, who made 10-league appearances for the Reds during what should have been the first of a two year loan to the Anfield outfit, started the season brightly but quickly fell out of favour, popping up in the team only twice following the turn of the new year with boss Brendan Rodgers preferring to play three at the back as his side stuttered to a sixth place finish.
“Javier Manquillo will not fulfil his second season on loan with Liverpool. The player and Atlético Madrid decided that he would go to Anfield’s club for two seasons to enjoy the necessary minutes to continue growing football-wise,” read a statement from the Spanish club. “However, in this first season with the Reds, the defender has not had all the minutes he and our club consider necessary for that purpose of accumulating experiences in his sports growth, so by mutual consent it has been decided that he will not follow under the discipline of the English team.”
Manquillo’s time at Anfield has looked numbered for quite some time now; when you couple the £12.5mil acquisition of fullback Nathaniel Clyne from Southampton with the club confirming that Andre Wisdom, who just signed a new four year deal with the Reds, will get a chance at first team football, the Spanish defender looked likely to go. Those of us here and Paisley Gates, and ping-pong enthusiasts the world round, wish him the best of luck in his future endeavours.
