It's fair to say Divock Origi was one of the real breakout stars of the World Cup in Brazil. The then 19 year old was the youngest member of a fancied Belgian squad and many expected him to do little more than play second fiddle to Romelu Lukaku.
The Everton striker floundered in the opening two games, Origi impressed when brought on and all of a sudden he was Belgium's starting striker. It was quite the summer for a player who few, outside Ligue 1 diehards, would have claimed knowledge of before the beginning of the World Cup.
Predictably enough, Lille soon began receiving offers for Origi. It was Liverpool who won out with a seemingly reasonable £10 million bid. The only problem was that they would have to play the long game. Lille demanded that Origi would have to return on loan for the season. Liverpool accepted, brought in Balotelli and now they're losing 6-1 to Stoke.
It's not only Liverpool who have had a bad season though. Lille may have been dying to get Origi back but it seems they would have been better off cutting ties. Fans who have been following Origi's progress would have known that he wasn't exactly lighting Ligue 1 up but the extent of his poor form has really become clear now that he has been included in L'Equipe's 'Worst Team of the Season' with a horrendously low average rating of 4.46.
With Daniel Sturridge out for the start of next season and Lambert, Borini and Balotelli all expected to leave, Origi has been pushed to the forefront of Liverpool plans. However, although he may have looked like a world beater in Brazil, it seems a healthy dose of patience may be needed as far as the Belgian is concerned. It must be said that he is still 20 so one bad season does not mark him for life.
Having said that, as far as Liverpool fans are concerned, it might be best to start pinning some hopes on Danny Ings coming in and hitting the ground running.
