Liverpool midfielder is now ‘likely to be recalled’ from loan spell after weeks of inactivity
Loan moves are intended to allow players to receive regular game-time away from their parent club, but that hasn’t been the case for some of those who’ve been loaned out by Liverpool this season.
Harvey Elliott’s move to Aston Villa has been an unmitigated disaster, with the 22-year-old frozen out under Unai Emery and finding himself between a rock and a hard place due to regulations which prevent a player from representing more than two teams in a single campaign.
Last week, Arne Slot appeared to dismiss the possibility of a recall to Anfield for the England under-21 star, and he’s not the only youngster on loan from the Reds who’s struggling for minutes.
James McConnell hasn’t played for Ajax since the sacking of ex-Liverpool assistant boss Johnny Heitinga in early November, although the midfielder – whose arrival at the Eredivise giants came as a ‘surprise’ to some – has missed a few games this month due to injury.
Liverpool ‘likely’ to recall McConnell from Ajax
On Monday, Lewis Steele reported for Mail Sport that the 21-year-old is ‘likely to be recalled’ to Anfield in January after falling out of favour in Amsterdam, with Championship quartet West Brom, Derby, Oxford and Swansea all admirers of his.
The report mentions the possibility of a rare Reds appearance against Barnsley in the FA Cup in a fortnight’s time, but this’ put McConnell in a simliar bind to Elliott in terms of the two-club maximum rule.
McConnell needs to be playing regularly in 2026
With the midfielder’s prospect of game-time at Ajax seemingly bleak, Liverpool would be right to recall him next month and reassess his options, particularly with several Championship clubs reportedly interested in him.
He turned 21 in September but has still played just 20 times at senior level, so he’ll be desperate to get regular football under his belt in 2026 rather than risk seeing another few months of his career go to waste.
If the Reds are to recall McConnell and loan him to a club in the English second tier, it’s crucial that he joins a team where he’s likely to play every week. The presence of former LFC coach Vitor Matos at Swansea could potentially be beneficial, if he’s prepared to put his faith in the midfielder.
He and Elliott are two case studies of how loan moves can go to waste if players are sent to the wrong club at the wrong time, although the swift sacking of Heitinga was difficult to foresee at the time that the Morpeth native was loaned out to Ajax four months ago.
Wherever he ends up at the end of January, let’s hope that he’ll enjoy plenty of game-time for the remainder of this season and potentially be fully integrated into the Liverpool first-team fold in future campaigns.
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