Jose Enrique has suggested that Liverpool’s Rhys Williams goes out on loan next season.
Williams, 20, has enjoyed a breakout year in the first team due to the injury crisis in defence that Reds manager Jurgen Klopp has had to contend with.
The young English defender ended up making 19 first-team appearances across all competitions, including nine in the Premier League and six in the Champions League.
He’s been thrown in at the deep but past the test with flying colours.
The 6ft 5in centre-back has dealt with the pressure so well alongside another inexperienced player in Nat Phillips.
Williams helped Liverpool get over the line for Champions League qualification by securing third on the final day of the Premier League season, and the role he’s played in the last few weeks has been admirable.
Enrique feels though that he should continue his development out on loan next season.
“Yes is great for him [to be playing] and the experience he has with the first team, but he should go out on loan and get minutes,” Enrique said on Instagram.
TBR’s View:
For sure, Williams is nowhere near the finished article yet.
The ball-playing centre-back can sharpen up all areas of his game, but the way he’s stepped up to the mark deserves so much credit.
A loan spell makes perfect sense when Liverpool’s senior centre-halves return from injury, and he’s shown he’s perhaps ready to be loaned out to a Premier League side.