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After starting pre-season with Arne Slot‘s first team, midfielder Tom Hill has no longer been spotted in sessions at the AXA, as Liverpool face a tough decision.
Hill was among the first players to report to the AXA Training Centre for the start of pre-season under Slot, as the new head coach ran the rule over a larger group.
But with that squad now refined as key players return, the 21-year-old has no longer been involved.
The likelihood is that Hill has instead made the short trip back to the academy facility on the same site in Kirkby, to take part in pre-season with the U21s.
Heading into the 2024/25 campaign, however, the long-serving midfielder could be subject to a difficult call over his future.
This season, clubs will be required to register players born before January 1, 2003 as overage players, and with Hill turning 22 in October, he now meets that threshold.
While it could mean he is registered as a valuable homegrown player in the Premier League, his absence from pre-season suggests he would not be involved if so.
If he remains with the U21s he would be eligible to feature in all games as an overage player – with up to five such outfielders permitted in the development league – but that would, of course, be far from ideal for Hill himself.
It presents a conundrum for player and club, who could seek a transfer for the Formby-born midfielder this summer.
Hill’s last reported new contract at Liverpool was in 2020, suggesting that this is also likely the final season of his current deal.
This puts him in a similar situation to Paul Glatzel this time last year, with the striker having agreed a one-year extension in the summer following an injury-hit loan at Tranmere.
Like Glatzel, Hill’s development has been dogged by injuries, which began in 2020 when he suffered damage to his ACL in training with the U21s.
He has only played 20 competitive games since then, and though he was involved in pre-season under Jurgen Klopp in 2022 – featuring in a warmup friendly against Man United – another injury cut his time with the first team short.
Hill also travelled with the senior side for their Europa League clash with Union SG in December of last year, going unused as a substitute.
After signing his short-term deal last summer, Glatzel spent the first half of the season proving his fitness with the U21s before heading to Swindon in January.
Glatzel has scored seven goals in 19 games since his permanent switch to Swindon, and he has worn the captain’s armband during their pre-season.
Perhaps that will be the route taken with Hill, but his new status as an overage player will no doubt force Liverpool into a decision over his next move either way.
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