Liverpool have forgotten player recently ranked the best in Europe who Arne Slot could unleash

Amid a defensive horror show in the Merseyside derby defeat by Everton, Jamie Carragher sent Liverpool’s incoming manager and the club’s top brass a clear message.

The Kop icon insisted that the Reds required a centre-back in the summer transfer window. Plenty of supporters watching the humbling defeat - the first at Goodison Park since 2010 that resulted in Liverpool’s Premier League title chances shattered - would have agreed. Ibrahima Konate struggled throughout the game amid a difficult spell of form since his return from injury, while the France international has again had niggles throughout the campaign.

Jarell Quansah has enjoyed a successful breakthrough season - one certainly unexpected. But aged 21, he still has plenty to learn. Meanwhile, Joe Gomez has largely been utilised as a full-back, having excelled on the left-hand side while Andy Robertson and Kostas Tsimikas were injured. There is an argument Gomez is now ahead of Tsimikas in the pecking order for that role.

The future of Joel Matip is uncertain. The Anfield cult hero is out of contract next month and is presently battling back from an ACL injury. Whether his deal is extended remains to be seen. And while Virgil van Dijk has been one of Liverpool’s most consistent performers in his maiden campaign as captain, he soon turns 33. Expected him to play as much as he has this term would be imprudent and, quite frankly, unfair.

Indeed, incoming boss Arne Slot will be surveying the squad and may have already held talks with Michael Edwards and soon-to-be sporting director Richard Hughes about summer transfer window plans. Slot would have also been conducting his due diligence on the squad he will be inheriting - including those out on loan.

And one player who might well take Slot’s interest is a fellow Dutchman. Sepp van den Berg might have felt he’d be at a crossroads had Jurgen Klopp planned to stay in the hot seat. Arriving from PEC PEC Zwolle in 2019, first-team chances have been scarce. Van den Berg has made a total of four appearances, all coming in cup competitions.

In truth, he’s spent more time away from Merseyside than on it. He had one-and-a-half seasons at Preston before spending last term at Schalke, although that was largely disrupted by a serious ankle. Yet this campaign at Mainz, van den Berg has made eye-catching progress.

The 22-year-old has been representing a side battling Bundesliga relegation, meaning that he’s had to do his fair share of defending. In a young player’s development, that shouldn’t be regarded as a negative, either. It can test someone’s resolve, whether they are willing to show steel when in a challenging environment. Van den Berg has done that.

In total, van den Berg has made 33 appearances for Mainz, scoring two goals. In the Bundesliga, he ranks second for the most aerial duels won (172) and fifth for most duels won (348). And per WhoScored, there is no better centre-back under the age of 23 who has performed better in Europe’s top-five leagues. For context, that puts him ahead of Quansah along with Chelsea’s Levi Colwill, Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite and Tottenham’s Micky van den Van.

Certainly, it is a decision for Slot to make. Speaking earlier this year, van den Berg admitted that he did not want to return to Liverpool and be an understudy. He said: “I think I’m doing well. I can handle playing at Liverpool. I can compete. But being a starter is different. Virgil and Konate are not easy to beat. I know it will be hard.”

Slot will likely have been aware of van den Berg since he was coming through the ranks at Zwolle and the Holland youth set-up. With a year left on his Anfield deal, he will want clarity over his future. The least, you would imagine, is that Slot will run the rule over van den Berg in pre-season before coming to a conclusion.