Most of Liverpool’s loanees were out of action this weekend for a variety of reasons, but here is the roundup of how their teams got on without them, as well as the performances of those who did manage to get on the pitch.
Mamadou Sakho (Crystal Palace) and Lazar Markovic (Hull City)
We were looking forward to what could have been an exciting clash between these two Reds, as Hull City continued their fight for survival against Crystal Palace. Sadly both players were kept out of their respective matchday squads.
Sakho has been absent since April and managed only eight appearances for the Eagles during his loan spell. He established himself as an integral player though and helped secure five wins during that time, as well as rescuing his adoptive club from potential relegation. The Frenchman has been nominated for the Player of Season award for his outstanding efforts and is expected to make the switch permanent in the summer.
This was the first game that Markovic missed with an ankle injury and he watched Hull go down 4-0 to Crystal Palace. This means that the Tigers have now been relegated to the Championship. Markovic enjoyed a successful spell in which he picked up two goals during his 14 appearances. Hull’s relegation means that the Serb is unlikely to join them on a permanent basis, but he would have hoped that he has done enough to feature in Jürgen Klopp’s plans for next season.
Andre Wisdom – Red Bull Salzburg
RB Salzburg inevitably secured the Austrian Bundesliga title, with three games to spare, thanks to a 1-0 victory over Rapid Vienna. Wisdom unfortunately missed out on the celebrations with an abductor injury. He has had an impressive season and put in a number of solid performances as he played a key role in winning his side’s fourth consecutive league title.
Taiwo Awoniyi – NEC Nijmegen
The teenager played a role of impact sub once again, when he scored his second headed goal in as many weeks, just nine minutes after coming off the bench. Awoniyi doubled his NEC’s lead in the 64th minute as they picked up a 2-0 away over Heerenveen on the last day of the regular season. However it wasn’t enough to save them from finishing in the relegation playoff spots and they must now face second division side FC Emmen as they try to avoid relegation over two legs.
Jack Dunn – Tranmere Rovers
In was a disappointing weekend for Jack Dunn as he was unable to help Tranmere Rovers gain promotion back into the Football League. He travelled to Wembley on Sunday, but the day ended in defeat as Forest Green Rovers ran out eventual 3-1 winners. Dunn came on after 53 minutes, with the score already at 3-1, and tried to help claw his side back into the game. He was one of the most creative players since his introduction and he had a couple of decent shots and one excellent cross which wasn’t converted, but perhaps should’ve been. Dunn will now return to Liverpool after making just seven appearances during an injury-troubled spell with the feeder club.
Danny Ward – Huddersfield Town
The goalkeeper missed out on the first leg of the Championship playoff through suspension. Huddersfield played out a nervy 0-0 draw with Sheffield Wednesday and with Ward’s replacement, Joel Coleman, keeping a clean sheet, it isn’t a certainty that the Liverpool man will be between the sticks for the second leg either. That match will take place on Wednesday evening.
Allan Rodrigues – Hertha Berlin
The Brazilian played the full 90 minutes in defensive midfield during the 2-0 away win over Darmstadt. Allan was one of the stand-out performers and was a key figure in Berlin’s defensive display. He made more tackles and interceptions than anyone else on the team as he helped to secure the clean sheet and resulting three points. With just one game left in the season sit in fifth position, just one point ahead of SC Freiburg, as they look to secure Europa League qualification.
Pedro Chirivella – Go Ahead Eagles
The season ended for this poor Dutch side with their sixth consecutive loss, this time losing 3-1 to Sparta Rotterdam. Chirvella played out another game in which he tried to bring some creativity and productivity to this struggling team, but was once again unsuccessful. Personally, he has had a decent season, playing 16 matches and notching two goals and two assists in the process.
Brooks Lennon – Real Salt Lake City
The young American didn’t feature during the 4-0 loss to New England Revolution as he was travelling to South Korea to represent his country at the U20 World Cup. USA will kick off their tournament on the 22nd May when they take on Ecuador.
Jon Flanagan – Burnley
Flanagan was once again an unused substitute, as he sat on the bench and watched his side lose 2-1 to Bournemouth.
