What Can Liverpool Realistically Expect from Emre Can This Season?

Emre Can's arrival at Liverpool this season hasn't started with the biggest of fanfares—although it's safe to say the Reds' form on the pitch hasn't either.

The 20-year-old German under-21 international picked up a bad knock to his ankle when his country were 6-0 up in an 8-0 thrashing of Romania U21s earlier this month, much to the frustration of Brendan Rodgers, who predicted the injury will keep Can out of action for up to six weeks, as per This Is Anfield.

He was last week seen leaving Liverpool's training ground at Melwood on crutches, as per Hamish Mackay of the Daily Mail.

Yet to make a competitive start for Liverpool and just two substitute appearances in the defeat at Manchester City and victory at Tottenham, Can's career at Anfield is most definitely still stuck in first gear.

But with an injury so early, and his young age, it's a lot to expect too much from Can in his debut season in English football.

Game Time

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Vince Siu of B/R made five bold predictions for Can's first season with Liverpool, including that he will be a midfield starter by Christmas.

These are bold claims indeed, but perhaps on a basic level there's an element of truth. With Liverpool's matches coming thick and fast this season due to Premier League, Champions League and domestic cup involvement, Rodgers will be relying on all quarters of his squad to help compete.

Finding His Best Postition

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Can is naturally a tall central midfielder, but he has shown his versatility previously for Bayer Leverkusen in switching to left-back.

At just 20 years old, there's still plenty of time for Can to grow and develop into the footballer he is destined to be and if that means being moved into different positions, so be it.

Can was recently deployed as a centre-back for Germany's U21 side, where he flourished in their 2-0 victory over the Republic of Ireland.

Improving Discipline

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Should Can return from injury to play regularly for Liverpool, Rodgers will be hoping his discipline on the pitch improves somewhat.

Can picked up nine yellow cards for Bayer Leverkusen last season. In comparison, no Liverpool player received more than seven.

The physicality and pace of the Premier League over the Bundesliga will be a big opportunity for Can to adapt his game positively.

Managing Expectations

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A lot of expectation and hope has been put on the young shoulders of Can already in his short career.

After coming through at Bayern Munich, his move to Bayer Leverkusen in August 2013 included a buyback clause for Bayern.

Impressing at Leverkusen, Can formed a worthy midfield partnership with Lars Benders, making 29 appearances and becoming a key part in their side.

He helped Leverkusen to achieve a Champions League play-off qualification spot in the Bundesliga and established himself as a mainstay of the team.

Now at Liverpool, with more competition for places and the challenge of the Premier League, Can arguably shouldn't expect too much too soon for his life in England.