Liverpool have recalled Rhys Williams from his loan spell at Aberdeen, with the news confirmed on the Reds’ official website and social media channels on Wednesday morning.
The defender is now back at Anfield after his temporary move to Scotland, which was originally intended to last a full season but has now been cut short by his parent club.
The 22-year-old’s return boosts Jurgen Klopp’s centre-back options, which had been hampered by the cruciate ligament injury to Joel Matip and the necessity to move Joe Gomez to left-back in the absences of Kostas Tsimikas and Andy Robertson.
Even if Liverpool had their full complement of defenders available, they may have been considering a recall for Williams anyway, given that he didn’t make a single senior appearance for Aberdeen (Transfermarkt).
It was a loan which was benefitting no-one, and although his lack of game-time in Scotland suggests that he’ll be a peripheral figure at best for the Reds, at least he fleshes out Klopp’s centre-back depth to some degree.
The manager is likely to rotate his squad considerably for the FA Cup and Carabao Cup clashes against Arsenal and Fulham next week, particularly with numerous injury problems to navigate after coming through a hectic pre-Christmas and festive schedule.
Williams has prior experience of stepping up amid a lengthy casualty list at Liverpool, memorably rising to the challenge three years ago alongside the similarly green Nat Phillips as the Reds salvaged a third-place finish from a difficult season.
There’s a firm likelihood that his return to Anfield will be short-lived and that he could be loaned out again before the end of the month, but at least he gives Klopp another centre-back option for the time being.
