Liverpool watched as Leny Yoro moved to Manchester United. The wisdom of that decision will only be known at the end of the season, or perhaps even further down the line — but one thing it's probably safe to say now is that the Reds would be wise to find an alternative on the market .
There's no denying that Yoro's move to Old Trafford looked bad from a Liverpool perspective . It appeared as if those at Anfield had simply assumed Yoro would be off to Real Madrid , while Manchester United was rewarded for its persistence with a player widely agreed to be a generational talent.
On the other hand, Yoro is just that — a talent, and a relatively raw one at that. Michael Edwards is reshaping the Liverpool recruitment team in his image, and it makes sense that he would not have wanted to place a teenager among the club's higher earners, especially for the transfer fee Manchester United paid.
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More than anything, the saga just summed up how hard it is to navigate the transfer market. Both sides hold merit, and either could end up looking foolish.
By and large, Liverpool will trust Edwards, who has a huge degree of credit in the bank. But the team he has assembled is less familiar, and supporters will want to see some kind of activity from Richard Hughes and co. before the end of the transfer window.
In particular, an alternative to Yoro would be a welcome addition. Liverpool has some talented center-backs, and will not want to block the meteoric trajectory of Jarell Quansah , but at the same time must confront the reality that it has an injury-prone roster and an extensive fixture list. Moreover, Virgil van Dijk is 33.
It's here when Dean Huijsen could enter the equation. A teenager himself, the Juventus youngster spent the second half of last season on loan at Roma under Jose Mourinho, in a spell that earned him plenty of admirers.
Juventus does not appear to be against a sale this summer. And Tuttosport claims Liverpool is weighing up a move.
That would come endorsed by Mourinho. The Portuguese legend, who is now at Fernerbahce in Turkey, was full of praise for Huijsen when he arrived last season.
"I think we all know who Huijsen is, he is an 18-year-old boy, who has 10 minutes of Serie A, but who is one of the highest quality prospects in European football at this age level," Mourinho said when the Dutchman arrived on loan. "He will be a great player in the future".
That prophecy started to come true at Roma, where Huijsen significantly added to those 10 minutes. He played 13 times for Roma in the run-in, even scoring twice — though he did find himself primarily on the bench by the end of the campaign.
Liverpool.com says: Huijsen is still young, but Mourinho gave him a first proper exposure to senior football. That will stand him in good stead.
Obviously, Yoro is much further along the developmental pathway. But if Liverpool is genuinely interested, that might actually be a plus point, because it will not be offering a guaranteed starting role (or a salary to match such a status).
If Huijsen is anything like the talent Mourinho projected, he might reach similar heights somewhere down the line. If Liverpool gets in now, investing somewhere near the ground floor, it could prove to be the more economical deal.
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