JURGEN KLOPP IS desperate to count Liverpool’s talented teenager Allan Rodrigues de Souza among his matchday options with the club in discussions over a new loan destination for the Brazilian.
The 19-year-old, who is currently on a temporary deal at Sint-Truiden, cannot represent the Reds competitively without a work permit.
His loan deal with the Belgian side will expire at the end of the season, and Liverpool are assessing options in Germany, Spain, France and Portugal as they plot Allan’s next move.
The midfielder, who can operate in an attacking capacity or as a holding player, left an immediate impression on Klopp during training sessions and practice matches.
The pair first met at the end of October after the Sao Paulo-born starlet helped SJK Seinajoki secure their first ever Finnish league title. And the 48-year-old wants to work with the “outstanding talent” properly at Melwood as soon as possible.
Klopp explained: “When I came here, one or two months later Allan was here and I said ‘who is this?’
“[The response was] ‘He is a player for us and the week before he became a champion in Finland.’
“I thought interesting – why didn’t he play here? I was told ‘because it’s not possible.’
“And then I started learning about the FA rules and things like this. I saw him in training and I thought ‘oh my God, what can we do to keep this boy here and bring him into the line-up?’
He’s 19 years old, an outstanding talent, a good player with a good attitude, everybody loves him, he’s a nice lad – so that’s really, really good. He’s a smart player.
“There is no chance in this moment here because he can’t get the permission to play here, so we have to send him out on loan.”
Allan’s spell at Sint-Truiden has caught the attention of Brazil’s youth selectors, who have called him up for an Under-20 training camp in Rio de Janeiro this week.
He is one of just three players based in Europe to make the cut for his country’s preparations for the South American Youth Championship in Ecuador. The competition serves as a qualifying tournament for the U20 World Cup next year.
We sent him to Belgium and he did well, really well until now. We had no doubts about this, it was a good transfer for both sides,” said Klopp.
“Now for the first time he has got an invitation for the national U20 team, and that’s great. It’s really deserved because he’s an outstanding talent.
Everybody has seen him, but it’s not too easy to have a lot of pictures of him because most of the time he has played in other countries.
“We hope we can find a solution in the future because he will be a fixed part of the squad in the future, for sure. Now he uses this time to improve and the next step to the U20 national team of Brazil is a great story.”
Allan was pursued by Liverpool after his performance in last year’s Frenz International Cup, where he captained Internacional to victory, and his signing was confirmed on deadline day in the summer.
