Throughout the course of 2014/15, Brendan Rodgers has certainly been a manager in desperate need of fire-power among his somewhat under-performing Reds squad.

The times Luis Suarez turned out at Anfield in the famous Liverpool colours seem nothing more than a distant memory these days, Daniel Sturridge’s long-term injury worries couldn’t have come at a more ill-timed moment – and as for the struggling form of both Rickie Lambert and Mario Balotelli this year – perhaps the least said about Rodgers' signings last summer, the better.

In LOSC Lille’s 20-year-old Belgian striking sensation however, the up and coming Divock Origi, Liverpool potentially have a very exciting new prospect on their hands to aid their cause up front next season. The youngster was purchased by the Merseysiders last summer, but spent 2014/15 back on loan in Ligue 1.

As life in the Premier League rarely goes according to plan though – from those wanting to challenge for the title, all the way down to the teams just happy to avoid relegation – the jury currently remains out on Liverpool’s returning £10 million man.

Could Divock Origi help reinstate the Reds back to where they supposedly belong near the top of the table, or does his summer switch simply represent another ill-thought-out transfer from Brendan Rodgers and the Liverpool scouting department?

Well, if the 2014/15 season is anything to go by, the signs ultimately don’t look too promising for the Belgian. This year the Lille no. 27 has experienced as many as 17 league games without scoring a goal, sections of his own fans unceremoniously booing him for his struggling form out on the pitch, and even an unwanted place in French newspaper, L’Equipe’s, worst XI of the season.

Divock Origi therefore looks like he could well go down as another silly gamble from the Reds. Liverpool were seemingly sold on the youngster after his impressive spells at the 2014 World Cup with his native Belgium – and although the 20-year-old definitely outshone strike-partner Romelu Lukaku in certain matches – his overall impact was nevertheless fleeting at best.

The long standing Premier League club pretty much had more money on their hands than they knew what to do with after the reluctant sell of Luis Suarez last summer, and their form this season has certainly suffered as a result. The likes of Mario Balotelli, Lazar Markovic, Dejan Lovren and Adam Lallana have all subsequently failed to do the business at Anfield throughout 2014/15. It’s not because they are bad players by any means, but such talents simply cost the club too much and therefore arrived with an inflated reputation and too much weight seemingly placed on their shoulders.

In taking this season’s events into account for the young Belgian striker, at this stage it looks as if Liverpool and Brendan Rodgers have made exactly the same mistake in Divock Origi.

Having made such a damning case for the recently emerged 20-year-old however, his poor form throughout 2014/15 doesn’t actually tell the whole story behind the striker’s overall attributes and potential with the Reds. The Anfield faithful could still witness a promising player when Origi returns from his loan spell with Lille this season, and finally joins up with his Liverpool teammates.

Yes, the player in question has certainly had a season to forget largely this year – but as the rest of the Lille squad have equally failed to cover themselves in much glory this term – such a problem doesn’t arrive exclusively with the newly acquired Liverpool man. The Ligue 1 club themselves could actually be responsible for the lion’s share of the blame in this instance.

That's because Lille relied far too heavily upon Divock Origi this season. He may have a bright future ahead of him for sure, and his performances at the World Cup certainly held him in good stead at the beginning of the 2014/15 campaign of course, but ultimately the 20-year-old talent is simply too young to take on such a level of expectation this early on in his career.

Origi’s drop in performance could also be related to the fact that he already knew he had a guaranteed move to Liverpool on the cards next term, so 2014/15 was ultimately a season in which the striker had very little to prove.

As the young Belgian still scored a decent total of eight league goals this campaign however, which is certainly not bad for a 20-year-old, there remains some degree of hope for his Anfield career next season – regardless of the multitude of poor transfer moves that came before his decision to ultimately join up with Liverpool.

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