Liverpool loanee impresses again against Borussia Dortmund and could offer Joel Matip alternative

Liverpool may have another young centre-back on their hands capable of making the step up as Sepp van den Berg continued his impressive form against Borussia Dortmund last night.

The Dutch defender has only made four appearances for the first team since arriving from PEC Zwolle in 2019 and he has spent time away on loan at Preston North End, Schalke 04, Schalke 04 2 and, at his current side, Mainz. During that time he's also featured 10 times for Netherlands U19 side and eight times for the U21 side and he is developing well outside of England.

Van den Berg, 22, is set to return to Liverpool in the summer where his future is unclear. Joel Matip will struggle to feature again for the Reds before his deal runs out in the summer, meaning Jurgen Klopp will likely lose a centre-back from his squad. The emergence of another young defender in Jarell Quansah has been a timely surprise and boost for their squad as he impressed and shown he can be trusted in any competition.

But can Van den Berg force his way into the side? It will be tough but if he continues to show performances like the one at Signal Iduna Park against Dortmund last night then he has a chance of making it at the club. His side battled to a 1-1 draw against the fifth-placed side in the Bundesliga as they earned a vital point which sees them remain out of the bottom three due to goal difference.

They took the lead through former Liverpool target Julian Brandt in the first half but the Liverpool loanee netted a fine header before the break to bring his side level - his first goal of the season and his first goal for the club in what was a great confidence boosting moment. He then went on to produce a strong all-round display as he won six out of his eight duels, won 80% of his aerial duels, recorded the most recoveries for Mainz with seven, managed a 89% pass completion and produced seven clearances. The six-foot-four centre-back turned 22 today (December 20) and has a relegation battle on his hands across the next five months which will surely give him that true experience at the top level. His physical make-up is very unique and very much in the mould of the new breed of centre-back that is tall, strong and quick - similar to Quansah, Ibrahim Konate and Virgil van Dijk.

He ranks in the 99th percentile for aerials won in Europe's top five leagues with 4.8 per game, ranks in the 94th percentile for blocks and he also recorded a top speed of 34.78 km/h which has seen rank 24th in the Bundesliga - featuring as one of the quickest centre-backs in Germany.

His route to the Liverpool first-team has been made difficult due to the emergence of Quansah but he still remains an interesting player on the books who, if he keeps improving, may be able to force his way into contention in the future. Nothing can be ruled out.