Liverpool midfielder suffers another injury – loan may not work out
Liverpool midfielder James Balagizi has already seen a disappointing loan spell at Wigan hampered by a long-term injury which could see him return early. Balagizi joined League One side Wigan on a season-long loan after an impressive spell with Crawley last season, scoring three goals in 16 appearances. But his time at the DW Stadium has been disappointing, with the 20-year-old making just four top-flight appearances and failing to start in the league. Manager Shaun Maloney left him out of the matchday squad for all but one of his last 13 league games, which coincided with just one defeat in eight. If Liverpool were not already considering terminating the contract in January, the likelihood that Balagiz will be out for at least six weeks with an injury has increased. “James hurt his hamstring in training, very harmless but it doesn’t look very good,” Maloney told the Wigan Observer on Thursday. “We’ll probably be waiting about six weeks for him, which is not good news.” The Wigan manager added that Balagizi will return to the AXA training center for treatment: “Let him and Liverpool decide what happens.” LONDON, ENGLAND – Monday 24 January 2022: Liverpool and James Balagiz ahead of the Premier League 2nd Division 1 match between Crystal Palace FC Under-23s and Liverpool FC Under-23s at Crystal Palace Academy. It comes after a similar problem for Balagiz last year, when the versatile youngster was eventually ruled out with an injury that ended his time at Crawley halfway through. Whether Liverpool will recall Balagiz in January is yet to be confirmed, but it is believed to be the best course of action for all concerned. Thanks to Maloney’s plans, it might be even harder for him to break through after a long layoff, and a return for the second half of the season with the U21s could be more beneficial. Balagiz’s injury problems have previously kept him out of first-team action for Jurgen Klopp’s side, with hand problems preventing him from taking part in pre-2021 training. He was selected for the Carabao Cup tie with Norwich and the FA Cup win over Shrewsbury this season, but is yet to make his debut. The Manchester native may not be the only Liverpool loanee recalled, opting to join Fabio Carvalho, Rhys Williams and James Norris, who are all short of game time.