Preston North End have had some fine players on loan in the last few years.
For some it was obvious they would go on to better things and Deepdale was only a stepping stone for them.
Jordan Pickford has been the established England number one for around five years, whilst Lukas Nmecha has now broken into the German international squad and scored 10 goals for Bundesliga side Wolfsburg last season.
The 2021/22 season saw Preston spoilt when it came to their loan signings. Daniel Iversen won the player of the year award and was in the last couple of Denmark squads, whilst Cameron Archer was one of the best natural finishers we have seen for quite a while. I’m sure they will both go on to have very successful careers.
One player that fans were very sad to see leave after 18 months with the club was Sepp van den Berg.
The Liverpool defender joined the club on loan when Ben Davies left to go in the opposite direction and quickly became a fan favourite once stadiums were opened up again.
First impressing as a right-wing-back, Van den Berg found his home on the right side of Preston’s three-man defence.
He connected with the fans, and you could tell he enjoyed playing for the club and it was beneficial for him to have a sustained run in English football.
Van den Berg’s time at Preston is now over and he heads back to Liverpool this summer as a much-improved player.
Of course it will always be hard to break into the Liverpool team as Ben Davies has found himself. Whilst Davies could be set for a move to Celtic, Sepp has admirers in the Premier League, Bundesliga and La Liga.
That is according to the Liverpool Echo who suggest Liverpool have already fielded a few enquiries from clubs to take him on loan for the season.
It will be fascinating to see the Dutchman regularly play at a higher level, and he will relish the opportunity to test himself.
The right side of a back three seemed to be the perfect role for him, so that could play a part in his and the club’s decision on where to send him.
Wherever he goes, there is no doubting that his time at Deepdale has stood him in good stead for the next stage of his career, and it could lead to Liverpool wishing to send more players our way in the future for similar deals.