Sebastián Coates hasn't had the best time in England with Liverpool or Sunderland. When he arrived at Liverpool on the back of a successful in the 2011 Copa América where he won an award for the Best Young Player at the end of the tournament. The arrival of a second Uruguayan was exciting as Coates was a talented and young centre back who would add both depth as well as quality to Liverpool's ranks.
Now 24, Coates has featured very little for Liverpool over the past four or so years and hasn't made much of an impression at Sunderland either. He has made just four Premier League appearances for Sunderland in a season that has been full of disappointment for the Wearside club. There's a bit of uncertainty surrounding the towering defender's future but he reflected on his own situation as the departure of Gus Poyet with a mature outlook, something that will serve him well when deciding his next move.
During my time in England, I’ve not had as many matches as I wanted. When the year loan is over, I will talk about what to do next. But my goal is to stay in England because it is the best football in the world. It’s a very competitive league. It was difficult mostly because the team is not in a very good moment, we are at the bottom of the league and fighting relegation. It’s a pretty difficult time and Gus is gone now. There have been many games where we deserved something more, but sometimes results don’t go for you and that’s what decides the future of the coaches. In football these things happen. Gus had an excellent season last year. But, as I said, that’s football.
It's amazing that Coates has such an appreciation for English football despite his struggle for first-team minutes over the past few years, and suggests that Liverpool fans will continue to see plenty of the former Nacional man in the future wherever he ends up. Missing a season through injury hasn't helped his cause but hopefully he'll find somewhere where he can flourish. There are some players who look like the sort that you should be rooting for and Sebastián Coates is one of them.