Liverpool forward makes injury return as coach hints at January transfer exit

Liverpool youngster Paul Glatzel made his long-awaited return from a cruel injury last weekend.

The striker feature for the full 90 minutes in the Reds under-21s' 4-1 loss to Middlesbrough at the AXA Training Centre on Saturday. It was Glatzel's first appearance since he suffered a serious hamstring issue during a loan spell at Tranmere Rovers last season.

Glatzel sustained his setback for the Wirral outfit on his 'second' debut a year ago. He spent the 2021-22 campaign at Tranmere, scoring seven goals and recording five assists in 22 appearances.

Glatzel was part of the Liverpool under-18 side that won the FA Youth Cup in the 2018-19 season - scoring the winning penalty of the shootout victory over Manchester City in the final. Reds under-21s boss Barry Lewtas hailed the commitment that the 22-year-old has shown to get back to fitness. And a departure in January has not been ruled out.

“Lewtas told Liverpool's club website: It’s great to see Paul back, it really is. He just needs a bit of luck and a run of games now. Even when he was on loan at Tranmere we saw he never forgets where the goal is. He is a senior player at U21 level now and I’ve got to be honest, his attitude in training and the way he trains is first-class.

“I get to see his quality every day and for him hopefully this is a time for consistent training and we’ll see where we are with the games for him. It’s an opportunity for him to stay fit, be strong and certainly continue to practise and evolve as a player, and then I’m sure when the window opens again in January he would be a massive addition to any squad.

“I know his quality, I’ve coached Paul for a long time now at the academy. That player who did so well for us when we won the FA Youth Cup is still in there, we saw that in his first loan spell with Tranmere. There’s no question about his ability and goalscoring quality – I see that every day. I’m used to that and this window probably didn’t quite work in getting him out on loan as there’s lots of moving parts with that as well. He needs consistent training, game exposure and he will be a real asset.”