Ben Davies is showcasing his talent on loan at Sheffield United with manager Slavisa Jokanovic full of praise for the “excellent” Liverpool loanee, speaking to the Yorkshire Post.
Suggesting Davies’ Anfield dream turned into a nightmare would probably be a step too far.
But we’d imagine the former Preston North End centre-back is disappointed at how things worked out at the Premier League giants.
Davies didn’t even come close to making a first-team debut between January and June, even in the absence of Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Joe Gomez, before returning to the Championship on loan when long-time admirers Sheffield United came calling in August.
Fortunately, Davies hasn’t let that six months of stasis affect him, shaking off the rust within his first few weeks at Bramall Lane.
Liverpool misfit Ben Davies is proving worth the wait for Sheffield United
“Ben is an excellent player at this level,” said former Watford and Fulham boss Jokanovic, a two-time promotion winner from the second tier.
“After a few days from when he started working with us, he has played very good football, but had soreness after the Luton game (a 0-0 draw at the end of August). But he will be an option to play the games and he can help us.
“His personality is calm and sometimes he is a little bit cold – but I don’t use it as a wrong word. He can do a good, normal job when he plays with us and will not do strange things. He will be important for us.”
Davies has slotted nicely into the left-sided centre-half role at Sheffield United, ensuring the absence of injury-hit Jack O’Connell isn’t felt as keenly as feared.
It remains to be seen whether the 26-year-old is able to play against former employers Preston tonight, however, after missing the 6-2 thrashing of Peterborough United due to what Jokanovic labelled a “covid situation”.
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