Barnsley player set for Liverpool return 10 years after being tipped as Jurgen Klopp's star youngster

Barnsley are set to lose one of their standout performers as Liverpool prepare to recall a loanee who was once tipped as a future Jurgen Klopp star, almost a decade after first being earmarked as a potential first-team regular at Anfield.

The player, who left Liverpool’s academy as a teenager in search of senior football, has rebuilt his career away from Merseyside, impressing in the lower leagues and ultimately earning a key role at Barnsley. His form this season has reportedly convinced Liverpool that he is now ready for another opportunity at the club, prompting plans for an early return from his loan spell.

Back when Klopp first arrived at Liverpool, academy coaches and staff believed this youngster possessed the technical quality, tactical intelligence and mentality needed to thrive under the German’s high-intensity, pressing style. However, intense competition for places, injuries and the club’s evolving transfer strategy meant he never made the breakthrough that was once widely predicted.

His journey since has been anything but straightforward. After leaving Liverpool, he bounced between clubs and divisions, gradually developing the consistency and maturity that had been missing earlier in his career. Barnsley have benefited most from that growth, with the player becoming an influential figure in their side, contributing both defensively and offensively while showing leadership beyond his years.

Liverpool’s decision to bring him back is said to be influenced by current squad needs, his versatility, and the club’s renewed focus on finding value in players who understand the club’s culture and expectations. There is also a sense of unfinished business: the feeling that his story at Anfield was paused rather than ended.

The move is expected to be bittersweet for Barnsley. Losing such a key player midway through the season is a major blow, but it also serves as validation of their role in his development. For Liverpool, it represents a rare second chance: an opportunity to finally see whether an academy prospect once highly rated under Klopp can now make a genuine impact in the first team, ten years after those early predictions.