Morrison ready to take his next step in League One

Kieran Morrison looks set to spend the season at Sheffield Wednesday after the League One club moved to the front of the queue for the 19-year-old winger's signature. The Yorkshire side have edged out a number of rival clubs, both domestic and abroad, to put themselves in pole position for a season-long loan deal.

It has been a summer of contrasts for the Northern Irish winger. He signed a new contract at Anfield and made quite the impression in pre-season, scoring the first goal of the Andoni Iraola era in a 4-2 friendly win over Sunderland in Nashville last month. Since then, though, his involvement has tapered off considerably, he managed just 24 minutes from the bench in Liverpool's second-string friendly against Como at Kirkby on Sunday. For a young player who needs consistent minutes to develop, a season in League One makes a great deal of sense.

Loan decisions incoming as the full squad returns

With Liverpool's first-team squad now back together following the World Cup, the club are expected to push through a series of loan exits for players who featured during the pre-season programme. Morrison's move to Wednesday looks the most advanced of those, but he won't be the only one heading out.

Centre-back Ifeanyi Ndukwe, the 18-year-old who arrived from Austria Vienna this summer and has turned heads since, finds himself unable to play for Liverpool this season and several clubs are now being considered as potential loan destinations for him. A decision there is expected within the next few days. Luke Chambers is attracting interest from Championship clubs including Portsmouth and Blackburn Rovers, whilst attacker Lewis Koumas is in a similar position, though Liverpool are likely to sit on both of those decisions until closer to the 1 September deadline.

McConnell's Preston move placed on hold

Not every deal is moving smoothly, however. James McConnell's proposed loan to Championship side Preston North End has hit an unexpected pause, with that move now on hold for reasons the club have yet to make public. It is unclear at this stage whether the deal will be revived or whether McConnell's situation will be reassessed entirely as deadline day approaches.

With several players' futures still to be determined and the window closing on 1 September, the next fortnight is going to be a busy one at the AXA Training Centre. Whether McConnell ends up at Preston or elsewhere, Liverpool will want his pathway sorted sooner rather than later.