Javier Manquillo: Former Liverpool Loanee Now Treading Water with Sunderland
Much has been made of Liverpool's relationship with recent opponents, Southampton, in recent years, but it is Sunderland, who visit Anfield on Saturday, who have shared more players with the Reds over the decades.
Howard Gayle, Alan Kennedy, Don Hutchison, Barry Venison, Phil Babb, Jason McAteer, Sotirios Kyrgiakos, Bolo Zenden, Fabio Borini and Sebastian Coates are among those to have turned out for both clubs.
This list could have grown further had Rafa Benitez succeeded in signing Kenwyne Jones in either 2007 or 2010 or Kenny Dalglish added Lee Cattermole to his squad in 2011 or Darren Bent in 2012.
Two former Black Cats currently ply their trade at Anfield, goalkeeper Simon Mignolet and captain Jordan Henderson, while two ex-Reds are part of David Moyes' Sunderland squad for the 2016/17 campaign, striker Fabio Borini and full-back Javier Manquillo.
With Borini sidelined with a long-term groin injury, Manquillo will be the only former Liverpool player available for selection as Moyes prepares his side for the trip to Merseyside. The Atletico Madrid loanee presents an interesting story, with both of his temporary spells in the Premier League seemingly heading the same way.
After playing the full 90 minutes in each of his first seven league games on the books at the Stadium of Light, Manquillo has been an unused substitute for their last three outings, a 4-1 defeat to Arsenal in October and victories over Bournemouth (2-1) and Hull City (3-0) in November.
Manquillo hasn't played for Sunderland since their 1-0 loss away to West Ham United on October 22, threatening to paint a similar picture to that of his 10 months on loan at Liverpool.
So why has the young right-back, who also spent time in Real Madrid's Fabrica academy, failed to establish himself at both clubs?
When Manquillo signed for Liverpool ahead of the 2014/15 campaign, his arrival came as something of a surprise to supporters, with the Spaniard, then 20, yet to garner a reputation around Europe.
"When they tell you Liverpool want to sign you, I think like any player, you are going to be absolutely amazed," he said upon his move. "And you don't think of anything else than going straight there."
Manquillo, who signed on an initial two-year loan, was part of an eight-strong recruitment drive by Reds manager Brendan Rodgers in the aftermath of Luis Suarez's departure to Barcelona. He was soon followed by a compatriot, left-back Alberto Moreno.
It swiftly became clear that the duo were vastly different propositions at full-back: Moreno was the more rampaging, attacking option; Manquillo was the more reserved, defensive talent.
This, in theory, provided Rodgers' defensive line with a welcome balance, with Manquillo dropping in alongside centre-backs Martin Skrtel and Dejan Lovren to form a back three when Moreno bombed forward.
Manquillo started seven of the Reds' first 10 Premier League games of the season, as well as featuring heavily in Liverpool's ill-fated UEFA Champions League campaign, and he looked to be growing into the role but eventually lost his place to Glen Johnson and, at the end of 2014, made his final league appearance for the club.
That this came in a convincing 4-1 victory at home to Swansea City, with Manquillo performing excellently as a right wing-back in Rodgers' 3-4-2-1 formation, led to speculation as to his subsequent exile.
He turned out for Liverpool on three occasions in 2015, while he was named on the substitutes' bench on just seven out of a possible 19 times in the league. The Spaniard ended the campaign having made 19 appearances for the club—would a 20th have activated a clause in his loan deal?
Ultimately, Liverpool terminated their agreement with Atletico ahead of 2015/16, and Manquillo went on to shine on loan at Olympique Marseille that season, playing 2,672 of a possible 3,420 minutes in Ligue 1.
But like the Reds, l'OM chose not to take up their option to sign Manquillo at the end of his loan spell, with the 22-year-old instead making his third temporary move in as many seasons in August.
Though Rodgers may not have been so keen, Moyes' persistent enthusiasm convinced Manquillo to make his second foray into Premier League football, as the right-back explained in September, relayed by the Telegraph's Luke Edwards.
"The manager was the reason I came here," Manquillo recalled, after becoming the second young talent to join Moyes' Black Cats on loan for 2016/17. "He kept on insisting. He kept on ringing me."
Manquillo followed Adnan Januzaj of Manchester United to the Stadium of Light, while Jason Denayer of Manchester City was brought in six days later, with Moyes fleshing his squad out with potential stars.
In a relegation battle, however, potential is often eschewed for experience, and this has been the case at Sunderland, as after his initial seven-game stint in the team, Manquillo has been supplanted by the 29-year-old Billy Jones.
To gain an insight into Manquillo's early form and his subsequent demotion under Moyes, B/R spoke to Gavin Johnston of Sunderland fan site Roker Report.
"Initially, I was excited," Johnston said of Manquillo's arrival on Wearside. "Sunderland were getting a promising and talented defender who would offer our leaky defence a completely different dynamic."
However, Johnston feels favouring Jones in recent weeks has been "absolutely warranted," noting the Englishman's strong performances against Arsenal, Bournemouth and Hull—a run that saw the Black Cats take six points from a possible nine.
"Manquillo doesn't stand a chance of getting back in the side for as long as Jones is in this kind of form," he continued. "I'm just not sure what his strengths are. He's not particularly quick and doesn't excel when in attacking areas on the right-hand side, but he's also too easily beaten in crossing positions, and Sunderland have conceded a fair few goals this season from his side of the pitch.
"The issue with Jones, however, is that he's incredibly prone to injury, and it's inevitable that Manquillo will get another opportunity at some point this season. It's just a case of when."
Like Liverpool and Marseille before them, Sunderland have the option to sign Manquillo at the end of his loan, having already agreed a possible four-year deal with the player and his parent club. However, Johnston is wary of the club sanctioning another costly permanent signing.
"The big worry that many Sunderland fans have is that, knowing our financial predicament and our awful history with foreign loans—we ended up having to pay big money for Ricky Alvarez, Sebastian Coates and Santiago Vergini in recent years because of clauses in their loan deals despite none of them impressing—the club may end up paying for a player it can't afford and doesn't need," he explained.
"It's far too early to tell. This season is going to be long and hard for Sunderland, and we have an incredibly injury-prone defence, so I have no doubt Manquillo will have more chances to earn his place in the side."
It remains early in the campaign, and with the Black Cats, no two months are predictable. But if Manquillo is continually overlooked in 2016/17, he could be left looking for a new club for the fourth summer running.
Ironically, the qualities Manquillo offers on paper—defensive stability, relentless energy and a sincere, humble approach—are what Reds boss Jurgen Klopp seemingly cherishes in a right-back. It could be that he presents a cut-price backup for Nathaniel Clyne next summer.
At this stage, however, this seems a far-flung fantasy, with Manquillo a perpetual enigma: a well-equipped young talent, with experience in three of Europe's top five leagues, who is continually, bitterly undersold.
Jack Lusby will be covering Liverpool throughout 2016/17 as one of Bleacher Report's lead correspondents. Statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt.
Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted, with special thanks to Roker Report's Gavin Johnston.
Follow Jack on Twitter @jacklusby and Facebook here.
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