There’s nothing more frustrating than a promising career blighted by injuries. We’ve seen a lot of them at Anfield. Adam Lallana shone bright when he was fit, as did Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Another of our in and out stars has been impressing upon his return. Jürgen Klopp has heaped praise on Xherdan Shaqiri.
Shaqiri fitness issues
Liverpool signed Xherdan Shaqiri from Stoke in 2018, paying his £13m release clause when the Potters were relegated.
Since then the Swiss international has been in and out of the side due to injuries.
According to TransferMarkt the playmaker has had four separate spells on the sidelines since he signed.
Most recently he missed nine games due to a muscle problem.
He made his return to the starting lineup in the 0-0 draw with Man United, his first start since 2019.
Klopp on Shaqiri
The Swiss midfielder impressed in his start against United.
He was getting into dangerous positions and causing problems for the opposition.
The boss was impressed, Klopp said of Shaqiri during a pre-match press conference:
“I think we had two players on the pitch who didn’t play a lot of games in recent weeks, with Thiago and Shaqiri.
“They both did really well. But, of course, there’s much more to come.
“So because rhythm, we cannot just ask for it, you have to gain rhythm by games and that’s the problem – but they did really well and helped us a lot.”
What RTK has to say
Jürgen Klopp seems to have hinted Xherdan Shaqiri will be given more chances.
The ex-Bayern Munich man may not have set the world alight with his performance but it was more than promising.
He brings flair and bravery to our attacking play. Hopefully we’ll see the best of him in the coming weeks.
Receive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox
