Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp’s praise for soon-to-be out of contract midfielder Pedro Chirivella following the 1-0 win against Everton on Sunday suggests the 22-year-old may have given him a dilemma.
What did he say?
Well, the Spaniard was handed just his ninth senior appearance for the Reds in the Merseyside derby against the Toffees, in which the hosts ran out 1-0 winners at Anfield.
Chirivella was one of a number of young and fringe players to come into the starting XI against Carlo Ancelotti’s men, playing alongside match-winner Curtis Jones and Adam Lallana in the middle of the park.
According to SofaScore’s player statistics, he had the second-highest number of touches of any Liverpool player and completed six of the 11 long balls he attempted, which led to comparisons with former Red Xabi Alonso by fans on Twitter.
Speaking to Liverpoolfc.com post-match, Klopp said after being asked about Jones: “But I cannot understand why nobody asked me so far about Pedro Chirivella, Neco Williams or Yasser Larouci.
“Pedro played and in the first half against Aston Villa was probably the best player on the pitch, we watched it on television in Qatar and we were completely over the moon about what we saw there.”
Dilemma for Klopp
The fact that Chirivella has less than six months remaining on his contract and has only made nine appearances for Liverpool at the age of 22 suggests he is very much on his way out this summer.
However, perhaps his displays against Aston Villa and Everton may have convinced his manager that he could still have a role to play at Anfield beyond the summer of 2020.
The Spaniard displayed his impressive range of passing against the Toffees, and showed that he can be a useful midfield player if given the opportunity.
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With Lallana set to leave in the summer too, perhaps there is an opportunity there for a new contract.
That said, Klopp will also know that first-team opportunities will probably still be limited for the 22-year-old given he already has the likes of Fabinho, Naby Keita, Gini Wijnaldum, James Milner, Jordan Henderson and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to pick from in midfield.
The aforementioned list doesn’t even include Marko Grujic, who will return to Merseyside following his season-long loan spell with Hertha Berlin in a few months’ time.
Klopp has been left with a bit of a dilemma then, although don’t be surprised if Chirivella has left it too late to salvage his Liverpool career.
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