ORIGI CAN BE A FRONTBENCHER
Klopp salutes the qualities of his ‘monster’ super-sub
V LIVERPOOL 8PM, BT SPORT
DIVOCK ORIGI has regularly been banging on Jurgen Klopp’s door to question his lack of game time.
But that does not mean the 26-year-old striker is a dead cert to leave Anfield, according to the Liverpool manager.
Origi, whose contract is up in the summer, has been linked with a January move to cashrich Newcastle.
But Klopp, right, who has worked with the Belgian since he took charge in 2015, said:
“If you are not a starter for Liverpool you can still be a world-class player.
“Really quick, technical level is incredible, a monster in the air, a really interesting package – but that doesn’t mean you are a constant starter for Liverpool because of the quality we have.
“That’s how it is. There are worse things than not being a constant starter for Liverpool.
“It’s really nice to be part of this squad, really nice to be part of this team. It’s all good but it’s nice that he has that skill and that he used it at the weekend.”
Origi reminded everyone of his talents on Saturday with a late winning goal from the bench at Wolves.
He has scored more goals from the bench in the Premier League than any other Reds player, and Klopp indicated he would be a certain starter against AC Milan in the Champions League tonight.
That is a rare start, though, with the manager explaining that Origi is not satisfied with his super-sub role.
“Moaned is not the right word but of course he knocked on my door and we were talking about things,” said Klopp, who will make widespread changes for the dead rubber at the San Siro.
“We’ve worked together as long as I’m here, pretty much, so that has happened from time to time.
“It’s not that Div was always in all situations in a world-class shape and I just didn’t bring him.
He got injuries in the wrong moments.”
Klopp believes it was one particular problem when he was “flying” – and an automatic starter – in 2016 that has caused so many problems in his Liverpool career.
He added: “I still remember it and it was a really, really decisive moment in the Everton game when Div was flying.
“We played an away game at Dortmund. They lost Robert Lewandowski only a few months before and they were like, ‘Oh my God, he’s pretty much at the same level’.
“Div got badly injured. These kinds of things are influential for careers.Then step-by-step we improved and we had a specific line-up, it was very often with Mo Salah, Bobby Firmino and Sadio Mane.
“That’s how life is.”