As a teenager, former Zwolle defender Sepp van den Berg moved to Liverpool. He struggled to make a mark in English life and, after failing to make a mark at Anfield, had loan spells at Preston North End and Schalke before joining Mainz on a one-year loan this season.
He made seven appearances in the Bundesliga for a club locked in a relegation battle. He has started in five of those games, and has shown his class in a defense that is not exactly solid.
At the national level, he has started eight games for the Netherlands U-21s and is looking to make the step up to the full national team.
It is not an easy path to the national team, as the Netherlands has a number of strong and footy center backs, led by Virgil van Dijk, also of Liverpool. However, the 21-year-old defender is eager to play for the full national team.
“Everything is feasible. You sometimes see boys make so much progress within one year, and I wouldn’t rule that out either.”
“You can make very big steps in one year and you never know how things will turn out.”
“If I said I didn’t think about it, I’d be lying. Of course that’s in the back of my mind. I certainly hope so.”
“It’s not easy for a central defender in this generation. There are a lot of adult boys such as Virgil van Dijk, Nathan Aké and Matthijs de Ligt.”
“In addition, you also have a lot of young boys running, such as Lutsharel Geertruida, Sven Botman, Jurriën Timber and Micky van der Ven. Maybe we should just play with six men at the back.”
Voetbalzone
He is also rumored to be on the verge of leaving the club on a permanent transfer this summer, and his contract expires next summer.
It is unlikely that Liverpool will offer a contract renewal, and the Dutch U-21 center back would not want to remain at a club where he is not assured of a chance to play.
With a high probability that his time at Liverpool is coming to an end, will the former Zwolle defender be able to make it to his dream of representing the Netherlands?