A former Crawley Town loanee has bid farewell to his boyhood club Liverpool.

James Balagizi played 16 games for Crawley Town in the 2022/23 season on loan from the Anfield outfit.

During his spell at the Broadfield Stadium, the 22-year-old scored three goals, including a memorable effort, as they beat Premier League side Fulham in the second round of the Carabao Cup.

But his loan spell was cut short due to an injury and he was sent back to the Merseyside club.

James Balagizi celebrates after scoring Crawley Town's first goal against Northampton Town in 2022 (Photo by Pete Norton/Getty Images)

placeholder image — James Balagizi celebrates after scoring Crawley Town's first goal against Northampton Town in 2022 (Photo by Pete Norton/Getty Images)

After Crawley, Balagizi had loan spells at Wigan Athletic, Kilmarnock and Forest Green Rovers.

And this week, he confirmed his departure from Anfield with a heartfelt message on Instagram. He posted: “From 11 to 22, it’s been an honour to represent this special club throughout a large part of my life. I’m so grateful and fortunate for all of the experiences I’ve had over the years. A massive thank you to everyone who has been on this journey alongside me – teammates, coaches and staff.

‘This is a period I’ll always look back on fondly, with many ups, downs and lessons learned. Hopefully, I can use all of these experiences to help shape the rest of my professional career. I’d also like to thank everyone who has supported me in any capacity. YNWA ❤️”