Preston defender Sepp van den Berg scored his first goal for the club on Tuesday night – and the Liverpool loanee now has a new nickname.
North End travelled up to the Mazuma Stadium to take on Morecambe in the second round of the Carabao Cup, having beaten Mansfield Town in the first round.
Morecambe dumped Blackburn Rovers out of the competition in the first round, but Frankie McAvoy’s men didn’t suffer the same fate.
Emil Riis bagged a first-half brace to put North End 2-0 up, before an Anthony O’Connor goal and a Cole Stockton strike brought the hosts level.
Preston didn’t wobble from then on though, with Ryan Ledson hammering home a long-range strike before Van den Berg sealed the win from close range.
Van den Berg celebrated wildly in front of the travelling Preston fans, with the 19-year-old scoring his first goal in senior football.
The 19-year-old may only be a loan player, but North End supporters love him – and have been chanting ‘ginger Maldini’ at him.
Lancs Live’s George Hodgson has now tweeted quotes from Van den Berg after last night’s game, with the teenager calling the chant a ‘great one’, admitting he likes the chant even if he didn’t hear it at Morecambe.
That nickname may end up following Van den Berg back to Liverpool if he continues to impress at Deepdale – at both ends of the pitch.