Done deal: Liverpool announce the departure of youngster defender

Done deal: Liverpool announce the departure of youngster defender

The departure of 21-year-old defender Rhys Williams from Liverpool has been made official

Liverpool’s defenders are in fierce competition for positions now that Ibrahima Konate joined the team last summer.

Williams and Nat Phillips, for example, had had trouble getting into games before his arrival, and it has gotten harder for them over the past year.

Both players were on loan from the team last season, and Liverpool has now formally stated that Williams will once more be departing on a short-term basis.

Rhys Williams will spend the coming season on loan at Blackpool (Getty Images)

The 21-year-old will spend the coming campaign with Blackpool, a team not too far from Preston, the city of his birth.

The teenage defender will be trying to rack up enough playing time to offer him a chance to join Liverpool’s squad next season.

At Swansea, where he was most recently on loan, he only made five league appearances, which wasn’t very productive.

Williams needs to play frequently in a challenging league to advance, and Blackpool’s nearness to Liverpool should make Williams feel more at home.

In other news, Bukayo Saka makes feeling clear amid strong Liverpool and Man City links