Liverpool will not see red
JURGEN KLOPP says no Liverpool player will be forced to train if he does not feel safe to do so.
The Reds boss was speaking after the Premier League leaders’ first group training session in more than nine weeks, which ‘felt like the first day at school’.
The top flight has been suspended since March 13 due to the Covid-19 pandemic but clubs can now train in small groups.
Klopp worked with ten players, split into two groups, in his first session at sun-soaked Melwood yesterday and said that while he expected all his players to show up, they were under no pressure. ‘It’s their choice so that’s clear,’ said the German, who had two more training groups later in the day.
‘I said before the session, “You are here on free will. Usually you sign a contract and then you have to be in when I tell you. In this case, if you don’t feel safe, you don’t have to be here”. There are no restrictions, no punishment, nothing.
‘So it’s their own decision and we will respect that 100 per cent. The boys are fine. We would never put anybody in danger to do what we want to do. Yes, we love football, and yes, it’s our job but it’s not more important than our lives or the lives of other people.’
On the excitement of being back on the training field, Klopp added: ‘It felt like the first day at school – for me, it was 46 years ago but it must have been similar.’
When the league restarts, possibly next month, the Reds will resume with a 25-point lead over Manchester City.