Liverpool youngsters James McConnell and Jayden Danns. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)placeholder image
Liverpool youngsters James McConnell and Jayden Danns. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Liverpool youngster James McConnell is currently on a season-long loan at Dutch giants Ajax.
A Liverpool youngster has revealed that he is being aided by a player who struggled at Everton.
But with McConnell down the pecking order at Anfield - with Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister, Curtis Jones and Wataru Endo all ahead - it was decided that he would be sent out on loan to garner valuable senior experience.
He joined a prominent European club in Ajax where he reunited with Johnny Heitinga, who served in Liverpool head coach Arne Slot’s backroom staff last season. And at the Dutch giants helping McConnell develop is Davy Klaasen.
The 32-year-old is the captain of Ajax, having returned to the club in 2024 for a third spell. Klaasen spent time on Merseyside earlier in his career at the Reds’ bitter foes Everton. Klassen joined in 2017 for a fee of £26.3 million. However, he proved disappointing for the Toffees, making just 16 appearances and failing to score before joining Werder Bremen the following year.
What’s been said
Still, Klaasen has been capped 41 times for the Netherlands and won five Eredivisie titles at Ajax, along with the Serie A crown when at Inter Milan. And McConnell said that her is learning from watching Klaasen in action.
Speaking to Voetbal International, McConnell said: “I have to mention Davy Klaassen too; it really helps me to watch him. He has a fantastic football mind; he’s so clever. When you play against him, he tries to pull you out of position to create space, which is very clever.
“You have to stay alert and not just follow him everywhere; sometimes you have to choose to defend the spaces. I’ve only been here a few weeks, but I feel like I’ve already developed quite a few things. I hope to continue that for the rest of the season. I have to work hard to help the team.”
What Arne Slot has said about James McConnell
McConnell has made three appearances for Ajax so far, having suffered from early injury issues. The 21-year-old will be hoping to thrust his way into Heitinga’s plans and bolster any chances of making an impact at Liverpool in the future.
McConnell, who has comes through the Reds’ youth ranks after joining from Sunderland, caught the eye of Slot during a 3-2 loss against PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League last season. As a result, a potential loan move in January was put on hold. “There’s definitely one of them that will not go on loan, and I think you know which one I mean… James McConnell,” said the Anfield boss.
“I wouldn’t say definitely but I liked him a lot today, so maybe the end result would be good to go somewhere and play but he’s also a player that hasn’t played much 90 minutes in the last six or seven months because he was injured for a while. He impressed me a lot today.”
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