Mark Lawrenson thinks Jurgen Klopp will return Jordan Henderson to the starting line-up for Liverpool tonight.
Speaking to Off The Ball, Lawrenson claimed that Henderson’s energy means he will be preferred to Naby Keita against Manchester United.
“I don’t think he’ll start Keita, I think Henderson comes back in,” said Lawrenson. “(Because of) legs, basically, energy and driving from midfield, all those kind of things.
“Keita had a really good game at the weekend but unfortunately he can’t string four or five really good games together, that’s been his problem and of course he gets injuries and seems to be out for quite a long time.
“It’s unfortunate for him, he was really good on Saturday, but I think Henderson comes back in,” said Lawro.
It’s certainly one of the question marks over Klopp’s selection at the moment. The captain has been first choice for most of the big games throughout the campaign. But Keita’s recent form has seen him earn some surprise selections from the manager.
As Lawro points out, he was excellent against as Liverpool overcame Manchester City on Saturday. But Henderson has been putting in performances like that for years since signing for £20m in 2011.
Plenty for Jurgen to ponder ahead of the big game at Anfield tonight.
Keita steps up at just the right time
As fantastic as it is to see Keita finally excelling in a Liverpool shirt, it’s tinged with disappointment that we haven’t seen it more often over the last four years.
The 27-year-old’s contract is due to expire in June 2023. That means that a decision over his future is likely to be made at the end of the current season.
On this kind of form, it seems likely that Naby will be rewarded with a new deal. If he can stay fit and contributing until the end of the season, there’ll be a strong case to offer him an extension.
Parallels with Oxlade-Chamberlain
Keita’s situation is comparable to that of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who’s contract ends at the same time as the Guinean’s.
Oxlade-Chamberlain is a year older than Keita and has had a similarly up and down time at Liverpool.
It seems impossible that both players will still be at Liverpool next season. If it’s a straight battle between the pair, Keita is comfortably coming out on top.
Ox has seen his involvement drastically cut over recent months. The 28-year-old’s last minutes for The Reds came a month ago in the FA Cup quarter-final win over Nottingham Forest.
Liverpool have played five games since then, and Oxlade-Chamberlain hasn’t had a sniff. He was even left out of the matchday squad completely for Saturday’s win over Manchester City.
It’s still possible that the former Arsenal man could have an impact on Liverpool’s run-in. Klopp seems to have made his mind up about him, though.
Whether he plays tonight or not, it seems that the best years of Keita’s career at Liverpool could still be in-front of him. Unfortunately, it looks like the same can’t be said of Oxlade-Chamberlain.
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