Liverpool defender Sepp van den Berg has demanded to be sold by the club, accusing the Reds of damaging his career in an explosive interview.
The 21-year-old has been at Liverpool for five years but made just four senior appearances, having been sent out on loans to the likes of Preston North End, Schalke and Mainz.
Most recently at Mainz, Van de Berg earned rave reviews and hopes to now take the next steps in his career. The Reds have reportedly slapped a £20million price tag on the player, which is out of the Bundesliga side's budget.
"I knew that I couldn't get from PEC Zwolle [straight] to Liverpool's first team," he explained to De Telegraaf.
"I could have been at Liverpool for one or two more years, but I wanted to play with all my might. I demanded to be [loaned] out. Every time, because I felt that I was getting better and better. I also made great strides physically.
"Just the whole [first] season. On the one hand, that was great. Yes, how does that work, you're 17, 18 years old, you're central to the defence in training against the starting XI, you have to build up and then Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Mo Salah come running towards you. It was tough, but I enjoyed it. But in all honesty, I wasn't looked after anymore. I also felt 'ready' [in 2021].
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"I had a good conversation with the management. He said he had received good reports. I understood that I wasn't going to play Van Dijk, Matip or Konate out [the team]. But I thought I could be right behind it. When I didn't get a chance again, I said: 'Figure it out, I want to leave."
He added: "(Liverpool) didn't exude confidence in me all this time, but you do want to hinder my future. I want to keep playing every week and develop myself further. In Germany, I enjoy Dortmund away with 70,000 people, Bayern Munich away against Harry Kane, Stuttgart, Leipzig, Leverkusen, against clubs like that I am challenged every week."
