Marko Grujic using Cardiff loan to stake Liverpool claim

Marko Grujic has been impressing on loan at Championship side Cardiff, where he looks set to stake a claim for a Liverpool spot next season.

Marko Grujic has enjoyed a rich vein of form since joining Cardiff on loan. The Serbian international, who struggled for game time at Liverpool, has started and impressed in every match since his move to the Welsh capital. With a string of solid performances under his belt, he looks to be playing himself into contention for a place in the Liverpool team next season.

Since joining Cardiff during the January transfer window, Grujic has been deployed in a deeper role with more defensive responsibility. In his new role, he has impressed with his dominance in the air and quality on the ball which recently drew the praise of manager Neil Warnock:

"I think he’s got more strengths to his bow. He’s made us play a bit more, he’s got quite good vision and he’s been very good in the air for us as well so he’s growing into it."

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp indicated in the past that the 21-year-old needed to mature when it came to the defensive approach to his game. The suggestion being that he needed to be more assertive and less aggressive, more disciplined and less rash. The loan spell at Cardiff has afforded Grujic the opportunity to do just that. Through Warnock’s instruction, he has had to check his naturally attacking instincts in order to marshal the midfield line for the Championship side.

It is a role in which he has thrived. Not only has he displayed the defensive discipline which he lacked before but he has also shown himself capable of controlling and directing play from a deep-lying position. The positional tweak is also bearing dividends for promotion-chasing Cardiff who are on a run of seven matches unbeaten in the league since Grujic’s arrival.

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A player of undoubted talent, he has benefited from the run of games, and the experience of playing in a deeper role will serve him well on his return to Anfield. Since the departure of Lucas Leiva there has been a vacancy within the Reds’ ranks for a proper number 6. Emre Can and captain Jordan Henderson have been deployed as stop-gaps in the position but have failed to deliver any real success. The former also looks set to leave the club at the end of the season which means someone will need to step up. Grujic has the potential to fill that vacancy. It is still early days but if he maintains his current form he could stake his claim to be the long-term solution to a long-time problem position.