Liverpool star hands Jurgen Klopp dilemma after remarkable turnaround
A Liverpool star has seemingly given Jurgen Klopp a selection headache after his social media post hinted he is ready to return to action.
Liverpool cruised to an opening-weekend victory when dispatching Norwich 3-0 at Carrow Road. The Reds entered the season with broadly the same options they finished last year with after overseeing a quiet summer thus far.
The two noteable absentees from their first starting eleven of the season was Georginio Wijnaldum and Andy Robertson.
Wijnaldum left for PSG on a free, with his place in midfield seemingly up for grabs among the club’s depth pieces in the position.
Robertson, meanwhile, was absent through injury after sustaining ankle ligament damage against Athletic Bilbao in pre-season.
Klopp admitted Liverpool were “lucky” with regards to the Scot’s injury. That’s because Robertson was expected to be sidelined up until the international break after gameweek three.
However, Robertson has confounded expectations and could be in line for a return as early as next weekend.
The left-back took to Twitter to post a picture of himself engaging in light training.
— Andy Robertson (@andrewrobertso5) August 17, 2021
Kostas Tsimikas excelled in pre-season and looked a threat going forward versus Norwich. His defending left a lot to be desired, though Klopp will be keen to give the Greek international as many chances as he can this season to ensure fierce competition for places keeps everyone on their toes.
Klopp reportedly personally intervened to reject transfer offers for the 25-year-old throughout the summer. And it appears his faith in Tsimikas could be tested as early as Saturday with a partially-fit Robertson now back in the mix.
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Liverpool to land Haaland in 2022?
Meanwhile, the chances of Erling Haaland moving to Spain with Barcelona or Real Madrid have been completely dismissed – with one observer indicating that he expects the striker to join Liverpool in 2022.
Valued at around £150m, Haaland’s clause sees him available for a reported €75m (£64m) next summer. He’s been predictably linked with the likes of Bayern Munich, as well as Real Madrid and Barcelona. There’s also a number of Premier League suitors too.
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However, Bayern appear unwilling to sanction any move while they still have Robert Lewandowski still going strong. Indeed, that was a stance they made perfectly clear when questioned about Haaland earlier this month.
And now former Bayern and Dortmund midfielder Michael Rummenigge has suggested Barcelona and Real Madrid could be out the running too.
Barcelona are heavily hindered by financial issues, meaning a deal even next summer looks unlikely. Real, meanwhile, appear more vested in a deal to sign PSG forward Kylian Mbappe. His deal in France currently has less than 10 months to run.
When asked about Haaland and Mbappe succeeding Ronaldo and Messi as the world’s elite stars, Rummenigge said: “Yes. They [Haaland and Mbappe] could get there. We’ll have to wait and see where he goes after this season,” Rummenigge said of Haaland, as cited by Sport Witness.
“Real and Barca have financial problems so I could imagine him moving to England. His father used to play there too. I could well imagine Liverpool for Haaland.”
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