"He had to be brave" - Wales boss praises Neco Williams for making loan move

Wales manager Rob Page has praised Liverpool right-back Neco Williams for joining Fulham on a six-month loan deal back in January.

The 20-year-old has been given plenty of opportunity since signing for the Championship club. In fact, Williams has performed well for Fulham.

The Wales international has scored two goals and registered two assists in 10 appearances for Fulham.

Page believes that Williams will only benefit in the long run from temporarily leaving Anfield.

As quoted by Anfield Watch Academy on Twitter, the 47-year-old told the Liverpool Echo the following: “It’s great for Neco to make that decision (to join Fulham). He had to be brave and strong to say to Liverpool ‘I’m not happy just sitting in the squad’, where he’s training with world class players day in, day out.” “He wants to play week in, week out, and I’ve got nothing but respect for him for doing that and he’ll benefit from having that experience." Page added: "He’s full of enthusiasm. He wants to improve and he wants to play for his country. “When you’ve got that, you’ve got a recipe for success. He’s in good form and that’s really encouraging for me.”

Anfield Watch Verdict

We completely agree with Page's take. It takes bravery to get outside of your comfort zone.

Williams could have remained at Liverpool for the remainder of the 2021-22 campaign. But, he would not have played.

Liverpool's first-choice right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold is considered one of the brightest talents in the game by many. Therefore, Williams has made the right call by going out on loan to play regular senior football.

There is only so much you can learn in training. When Williams returns to Liverpool, we do expect him to be a more rounded player simply because he is currently playing a high level of senior football on a consistent basis.

Maybe one day he will break into Liverpool's first-team. But, Williams has a lot of work to do to either replace Alexander-Arnold or fit into Klopp's side in a slightly different position.

Another loan spell would not hurt the 20-year-old next season.