Liverpool’s squad has been bolstered by the unexpectedly early return of one player who’d been out on loan from Anfield.
Marcelo Pitaluga made a temporary move to St Patrick’s Athletic upon signing a new contract with the Reds in January, but as reported by SportsJOE.ie, the League of Ireland club have now cancelled the loan deal.
The Dublin outfit’s manager Stephen Kenny confirmed the 21-year-old’s exit from Richmond Park along with two other players in recent days amid a busy week of ins and outs.
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Pitaluga is back at Liverpool in time for pre-season, but the Brazilian could now be facing some uncertainty over his immediate future after St Pat’s cancelled his loan move.
He only made four league appearances for the Saints, which doesn’t bode particularly well for his hopes of getting senior minutes at Anfield any time soon.
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With Adrian on the brink of returning to Real Betis and speculation continuing to abound over Caoimhin Kelleher’s future, there’s an opportunity for the Reds’ other goalkeepers to stake a claim as Alisson Becker’s main backup.
The Liverpool and Brazil number one has previously hailed compatriot Pitaluga as ‘really talented’ and ‘really dedicated’, but even if the aforementioned duo depart, the 21-year-old could have another ‘keeper ahead of him in the queue.
Vitezslav Jaros is also back on Merseyside after his loan spell at Sturm Graz in the second half of last season, and having won the Austrian double and made it into Czechia’s Euro 2024 squad, he seems the likeliest to step up if Arne Slot promotes from within rather than signing a backup stopper.
LFC might seek to arrange another loan exit for Pitaluga in order to give him much-needed senior game-time, something that unfortunately he didn’t have at St Pat’s and now very much needs in order to improve his chances of competing for the number 1 shirt at Anfield in future years.
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