Liverpool defender makes surprise injury return after Jurgen Klopp talks

Forgotten Liverpool defender Rhys Williams has made a return from injury.

Williams has endured a frustrating 2023-24 season. The centre-back joined Aberdeen on loan in the summer transfer window yet was confined to a solitary cup outing for the Scottish Premiership side.

His spell north of the border was cut short in January before he then made a temporary switch to League One outfit Port Vale. But on transfer deadline day, that agreement was ended early as Williams suffered an injury and he returned to Anfield to undergo rehabilitation.

The decision suggested that the 23-year-old was set for a prolonger period on the sidelines. However, just a month later, Williams is back playing. He featured for 71 minutes in Liverpool under-21s' 2-0 loss against Aston Villa last weekend.

Young Reds head coach Barry Lewtas told the club's website: "Rhys has had a tough season with fitness issues and injuries, so it was good to get him some minutes. Obviously after the excursions of some of the lads playing for the first team and in the FA Youth Cup, we felt today was a good chance to get Rhys some minutes and that will be good for him."

Williams memorably made his Liverpool breakthrough in the 2020-21 season. Amid an injury crisis, with Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Joe Gomez all suffering serious issues, Williams and Nat Phillips helped Jurgen Klopp's side finish an unlikely third in the Premier League and qualify for the Champions League. Williams has since had loans at Swansea City and Blackpool.

However, the former England youth international now finds himself further down the pecking order at Anfield following the breakthrough of Jarell Quansah this season.

After Williams arrived back from Aberdeen, Klopp said: "I will have to talk with him about why his loan spell didn’t work out, that was obviously different and the boy I know I would expect to play in Scotland, 100 per cent, from the first to the last second if it is not Celtic or Rangers where it is always slightly different, and he didn’t.

“I will have to talk to him about that and I didn’t do that yet, but it will happen, definitely, and then we will see what’s the outcome of that conversation.”

Williams is under contract at Liverpool until the summer of 2026.