Liverpool youngster Tommy Pilling has revealed his intentions to leave the club on loan, having already made the first-team squad on one occasion this season.
Pilling has emerged as one of new Liverpool U21s head coach Rob Page’s most important players – as well as a reliable option in first-team training.
But having turned 20 in September it should come as no surprise that the midfielder is considering his next steps.
“Hopefully [I can] go on loan, get as many opportunities to train with the first team,” he told the club’s official website of his aims.
“I’d like to play men’s footy. I’m not in too much of a rush to do that, but the aim is to get towards that.”
A temporary deal is likely to be considered in January, with Liverpool only sanctioning six academy loans in the summer window and therefore leaving a big squad for Page to work with.
Pilling is at risk of academy limbo
But there will be a focus on finding the right home for a player of Pilling’s quality and potential at a pivotal stage in his development.
He finds himself in a similar position to the likes of Luca Stephenson, Dominic Corness, Jake Cain and Leighton Clarkson in years gone by; outgrowing the academy structure but only on the fringes of the first team.
Wherever his next move takes him, he will benefit from not only time spending training with Arne Slot‘s squad but also his experience on matchdays.
After coming off the bench in the pre-season friendly against Athletic Club in August, Pilling travelled with the senior squad for the Carabao Cup victory over Southampton last month.
“Even though it wasn’t a competitive game, just the feeling of being at Anfield, being around the fans, warming up, sitting on the bench behind the coaches [was special],” he reflected of that pre-season outing.
“[I was just] listening, getting an insight into what the first-team players listen to before the game, how people are moving about before the game, what they’re doing.
“To actually come on, I had a good 25 minutes too, it was just a moment to express myself, to show what I can do.
“I was nervous before the game but warming up and stuff, it just felt natural. When the gaffer said, ‘you’re coming on’, I was just focused and happy.”
Pilling appears primed for a move to a club in the Football League, and Page’s connections could prove useful in that sense – the U21s head coach was formerly manager at Port Vale and Northampton, while he ended his playing career at Chesterfield.
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