Lazar Markovic demoted to Liverpool's Under-23 team

Liverpool winger Lazar Markovic has been demoted to the club's Under-23 team following his failed move away this summer.

The 24-year-old was understood to be on a verge of a £2.9m switch to Anderlecht on deadline day last month, but the deal broke down at the 11th hour after he failed to agree personal terms.

Markovic has since insisted that money was not the issue, but he has been left out of Jurgen Klopp's squads for the Premier League and the Champions League.

The Liverpool Echo reports that he spent the international break training with Neil Critchley's youth team at the Academy in Kirkby, before taking place in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Crewe Alexandra.

The Reds are expected to try to ship Markovic out once again when the January transfer window reopens as the Serb has less than a year remaining on his current contract.

Markovic has not featured for Liverpool since May 2015, taking in loan spells at Fenerbahce, Sporting Lisbon, Hull City and Anderlecht since then.