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For ten minutes or so against Brondby, Tiago Ilori looked comfortable and composed, showing signs of the defender Liverpool were so high on when they brought him in last summer. Then he came off injured and his preseason was over almost as quickly as it began, so that was fun while it lasted. After a successful spell on loan at Granada many had anticipated further opportunity to see Ilori this summer, so the early injury looked to have dealt a blow both to his outside chances at a spot with Liverpool this season and the club's chances at settling a loan deal early.
Apparently that's not the case as far as a temporary move away is concerned, however, as Marca are reporting that Ilori is set to join Deportivo La Coruña on loan pending Liverpool's approval. The Galician side earned promotion back to La Liga after relegation in the 2012-2013 season, and will be in their first season under new manager Victor Fernandez. Fernando Vazquez, who oversaw promotion this past year, was fired in early June after a dispute with club president Tino Fernandez over transfer dealings.
Assuming this isn't a complete fabrication, it's another opportunity for Ilori to impress in Spain, albeit with another side that's going to spend most of their time in the lower half of the table. A domestic loan might be preferable for those hoping to seem him against English competition, but top flight football in a league that's somewhat familiar shouldn't do any harm, and, perhaps most importantly, this means Manchester United can't buy Mats Hummels now because Ilori was totally going to replace him at Dortmund. Crisis averted!
Funnily enough, Depor start their La Liga campaign against Granada on August 23.
