Tiago Ilori Set for Liverpool Return

Rémi Garde took over from Tim Sherwood, but the result for Tiago Ilori has been the same: no competitive appearances whatsoever. Not even a single minute. Ilori is in the José Enrique zone. Whether that's a happy place for a football career is best left for others to decide. This has resulted in the unsavoury prospect of being sent back to Liverpool to make space for loanees who would actually be trusted to make contributions on the field.

The centre back showed much promise during loan spells in France and Spain but also displayed a worrying tendency to pick up injuries. Fitness, however, hasn't the been a barrier to making an appearance for the Premier League's most forlorn outfit. Only Sunderland have conceded more goals than Aston Villa, which raises questions as to why Ilori hasn't managed to impress two managers during his time in the Midlands.

According to the Liverpool Echo, the Premier League's basement club paid Liverpool a £1 million loan fee for the 22-year-old with an option to make the move permanent for a figure around £6 to £9 million depending on the number of games played. Where this leaves Ilori is unknown, but there must be a reason as to why the the youngster has not yet made a single competitive appearance in English football since arriving from Sporting.

A job for Jürgen Klopp or time for the chop?