Liverpool have been dealt a massive blow as one of their January targets has signed a new deal that keeps him at his club for the foreseeable future. The Reds had reportedly targeted Sam McQueen of Southampton for a move in the January window but the 21-year-old has signed a new four-and-a-half-year deal to remain at the Saints, reports Star Sports.

The Reds had also targeted Virgil van Dijk from the Saints but McQueen could have been the player that would have solved the issue of the left-back problem for the Merseyside club. Liverpool have played with James Milner starting in the role and the Englishman has done a decent enough job, despite not playing in his favoured position.

It will only be a matter of time before the midfielder playing as a defender will be found out and a few issues were bared for all to see during the shocking 4-3 loss at the hands of Bournemouth. Although Milner cannot be blamed for all the goals, he did play a big role in the first goal the Reds conceded as he gave away a daft penalty.

McQueen is still young and probably needs more time to develop as a player but he made his debut this season for the Saints and has gone on to make five appearances in the Premier League for Claude Puel’s side.

Delighted with the new deal

The 21-year-old had joined the Southampton system at the age of eight and has progressed through the ranks. The Englishman was obviously delighted with the new deal and was quoted as saying:

“It feels really good, as you’d expect.

“I’m delighted to sign a new deal with the club, having been here for so long already.

“It has been years and years of hard work to get to this point. I’m really happy to be out on the pitch playing games for the first team.

“The last couple of months have been amazing for me and this new contract really just rounds that off.

“Now it’s important that I keep working hard and make as much of an impression as I can.”

While this might come as a big blow for the Reds, all it does is ensure the Merseyside club have to pay a huge amount to sign McQueen. Liverpool have raided Southampton in the past and have signed the likes of Rickie Lambert, Adam Lallana, Dejan Lovren and Nathaniel Clyne, while they also signed Sadio Mane which made the Senegalese the most expensive African footballer ever.

The Reds do need a quality left-back and McQueen could be the man for the future but it is tough to say just how good he is when compared to Milner. Klopp has been shrewd with most of his signings doing well this season, well apart from Loris Karius, and it will be interesting to see if Liverpool do make a concerted effort to sign McQueen in the winter window.