‘Liverpool were holding me back and didn’t treat me right – I was so happy when I left'

Former Liverpool star Sepp van den Berg criticised his old club after making a move to Brentford last month. The 22-year-old joined the Reds from PEC Zwolle in 2019 but only managed to make four appearances in five seasons for Jurgen Klopp’s team.

After loan stints at Preston North End, Schalke and Mainz, Van den Berg was eager to leave Anfield permanently at the beginning of the summer. He accused the club of neglecting him and complained that Liverpool were pricing him out of a move by setting their asking price at £20million.

Brentford secured the defender’s signature for £19.35m in August, and he quickly expressed his relief at leaving Merseyside. “It feels amazing [to be a Brentford player],” he told the club’s website last month.

“I had a few phone calls and a meeting with the manager, where he told me why they wanted me here. They showed me what qualities they see in me as a player, so it was all positive.”

Van den Berg felt valued by Bees boss Thomas Frank after years of being sidelined at Liverpool, despite strong performances in training and during his loan spells. Speaking to Dutch publication De Telegraaf in June, the defender said he felt undervalued at Anfield and that it was clear the club didn’t really have a plan for him

“[I am] central to the defence in training against the starting XI, you have to build up and then Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Mo Salah all come running towards you,” he said, adding: “It was tough, I enjoyed it.”

“But in all honesty, I wasn’t looked after anymore. I felt ready [in 2021]. I had a good conversation with the management. He said he had received good reports. I understood that I wasn’t going to play Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip or Ibrahima Konate out the team. But I thought I could be right behind it.”

His frustration grew when chances didn’t materialise, which led to his request to leave: “When I didn’t get a chance again, I said, ‘Figure it out, I want to leave. You [Liverpool] didn’t exude confidence in me all this time, but you do want to hinder my future. I want to keep playing every week and develop myself further’.”

Even though he’s only been at Brenford for a few weeks, Van den Berg has already made the same number of appearances for the club that he made during his time at Liverpool. After a successful debut in a 1-0 victory over Colchester United in the EFL Cup, he appeared as a substitute in Brentford’s Premier League win over Southampton, before starting back-to-back matches against Manchester City and Leyton Orient.

When questioned about what Brentford supporters should expect from him, Van den Berg confidently stated: “I just want to help the team wherever I can. Personally, playing as many games as I can, that’s what I came here for.

“I also want to develop myself and help the team achieve things that have never happened before. Maybe Europe – you have to dream big!”