Liverpool loanees James McConnell and Owen Beck are expected to return to the club in January following an early end to their loan spells.The pair had been vying for first-team minutes with Ajax and Derby County respectively, but have (particularly in the case of the former) found opportunities to be lacking.How much game time have McConnell and Beck had on loan?(Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)It’s been a disappointing spell for the duo, with the 21-year-old midfielder earning only 219 minutes from seven appearances in all competitions for the Eredivisie outfit.Ajax, of course, have struggled on the pitch in the 2025/26 campaign and find themselves a whopping 16 points behind league leaders PSV.TeamsPointsPSV46Feyenoord35Ajax3023-year-old left-back Beck, on the other hand, hasn’t enjoyed much better luck over in the Championship.His stay in the English second division has been curtailed by injury, with The Athletic reporting that a hamstring surgery was required after an issue incurred during a 40-minute display against Blackburn Rovers’ U21s.James Norris in talks over exit to ShelbourneThe same report in question from James Pearce notes that fellow left-back James Norris (22) could be set for a permanent switch to Shelbourne.This follows a successful spell with the Irish outfit, having already registered 734 minutes of action in 11 games.Do either McConnell or Beck have a Liverpool future?(Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)It’s fair to assume that Liverpool are very much planning with Milos Kerkez in mind as their starting left-back for the foreseeable future.Whether a space opens up beyond the Hungarian remains entirely up to Andy Robertson and the club’s recruitment team, following prior reports of interest from Atletico Madrid in the summer window.However, it’s probably safe to assume that the Reds aren’t currently giving serious thought to the notion of Beck having a prominent squad role.McConnell, on the other hand, is an interesting case. Current Liverpool head coach Arne Slot singled the player out back in January following an impressive display in the Champions League against PSV.Since that point, however, the holding midfielder’s Anfield career has pretty much stalled.James McConnell stats4 appearances237 minutes* James McConnell’s stats for Liverpool in the 2024/25 season (Transfermarkt)There was a further opportunity in the disappointing fourth round exit to Plymouth in the FA Cup and then no further senior outings before his loan switch to the Dutch top-flight.Given that the manager evidently would much rather avoid relying on Wataru Endo to rest Ryan Gravenberch, perhaps there’s an opportunity for Liverpool’s returning midfielder.Liverpool need to be careful with Ryan GravenberchThe former Bayern Munich star has had some rest to be absolutely clear; although, this has been largely enforced by injury and a red card suspension carrying over from the prior campaign.Despite that, the 23-year-old has still managed to rack up the fourth most minutes in the squad (across all competitions).PlayersMinutes (in all competitions)Virgil van Dijk2,250Dominik Szoboszlai2,153Ibrahima Konate2,032Ryan Gravenberch1,744* Liverpool players ranked by minutes taken across all competitions (Transfermarkt)Join our channel of readers on WhatsApp to get the day’s top stories straight to your mobileThe post Big opportunity: Liverpool braced for two January arrivals amid talks over permanent exit appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.