The biggest surprise in Liverpool's 23-man squad that traveled to Prague on Wednesday afternoon is Mateusz Musialowski. The Pole, who turned 20 last October and is nicknamed “Poland's Messi”, did not think it would be an opportunity when he was on his way away from the club this summer.
In August, Musialovsky was said to have reached an agreement with Austrian club TSV Hartberg over a transfer, but at the twelfth hour Liverpool chose to back out. The club had initially decided to let the youngster leave for free, but with a resale clause, before turning around and asking for a transfer fee. Then the Austrians withdrew and Musialovsky remained.
This has turned out to be good news for Liverpool's Under-21 side, with Musialovsky impressing at the start of the season.
– He takes more responsibility on the field and participates in all stages of the game. He is also strong and committed defensively. No one would doubt his ability to dribble and pass players, but now he is good at most things, Barry Lutas, the Under-21s coach, said this fall.
Will he appear for the first time before disappearing?
So tonight he can get his reward in the form of the debut he has dreamed of since coming to Liverpool in the summer of 2020. Jurgen Klopp has got some players back from injury, but he will likely use some youngsters tonight as well, and Musialovsky is one of the people who could get game time. .
But it remains to be seen whether there will be more Liverpool appearances for the Pole. According to Transfermarkt, his contract is up this season, and the player himself and his agent appear ready to make the move towards a club that can offer first-team football.
A number of clubs are said to have shown interest in the elusive player. A return to Polish football should be ruled out, although there are several clubs interested in the 20-year-old there. Instead, the agent hinted at moving to another country. Clubs participating in the tournament should also be interested.
– Many clubs want to get him. If you ask me, he should go to the Netherlands, Belgium or perhaps Switzerland, according to agent Cezary Kucharski in November. This is Anfield stadium.
But first we could get a chance to get to know Musialewski better if he gets playing time against Sparta Prague on Thursday. The match kicks off at 6.45pm and will be shown on TV3+ and Viaplay.
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