According to a recent report from The Liverpool Echo, the future of Liverpool youngster Marko Grujic is far from certain. The 22-year-old currently plays his football on loan at Bundesliga outfit Hertha Berlin in a bid to earn the first team chances he was unlikely to get under Jurgen Klopp at Anfield, with his efforts in Germany seemingly prompting the top-flight outfit to consider a move beyond the summer.

And that’s because a recent report from The Liverpool Echo suggests that Hertha Berlin are hoping to try and retain the Reds sensation beyond the expiration of his loan spell this summer, which could leave Liverpool boss Klopp with something of a decision to make come the end of the season.

But given the struggles Adam Lallana has had with injury, and indeed the fact that James Milner turned 33 last month, the Liverpool manager simply must seek to retain the 22-year-old, a player he once described as ‘fantastic’ (as per News Shopper).

The Breakdown

Ultimately, Grujic was Klopp’s first signing as Liverpool manager back in the winter window of 2016 as the new Reds chief sought to improve a squad that struggled to sixth place in the Premier League the season before under Brendan Rodgers, and who indeed made a sloppy start to the 2015/16 campaign to thus cost the Northern Irishman his job.

Yet Grujic was sent straight back on loan to Red Star Belgrade for the rest of the campaign before eventually making his Liverpool debut against Burnley in August 2016, although that has only paved the way for 13 further senior appearances for the Merseyside giants, with loan spells at Cardiff City and now Hertha Berlin underlining his lowly place in the pecking order.

However, at the tender age of 22, and given Klopp once described the midfielder as ‘fantastic’ and a ‘really skilled boy’ (as per News Shopper), it’s clear that the Serbia international is very highly-rated at Anfield, and as such must be retained beyond the end of the season given he appears to be the future of their central midfield ranks.

Ultimately, while the arrivals of Naby Keita and Fabinho during the summer have gone some way to bolstering Klopp’s options in the middle of the park, the fitness of Lallana and the aging Milner could leave the Liverpool chief with much to ponder in the coming years.

England international Lallana has struggled greatly with injuries in the last few years to call into question his long-term future at Anfield, with just nine Premier League appearances this time round suggesting that the Reds may well have moved on from the 30-year-old, who was a hugely integral player in their run to fourth place under Klopp back in the 2016/17 season.

And with Milner having turned 33 back in January, and with his contract up at the end of the current campaign, one can only speculate how much longer he has at Liverpool and indeed at the top level - he continues to feature regularly for the Reds, but no contract extension leaves his future uncertain.

And that is why retaining 22-year-old Grujic makes complete sense, as not only is he a player that Klopp clearly rates, but he’s one that could fill a likely void set to appear in the Reds’ midfield ranks in years to come.

And having impressed at Hertha Berlin this term, having netted twice in ten games for the Bundesliga outfit, he appears to be slowly but surely finding his feet in the professional game and at a high level - he could be the main man in the Liverpool midfield in the not-too-distant future.

As such, he’s a player that Reds simply must seek to retain this summer.

Liverpool fans… what do you think? Let us know!