Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino ‘probably’ won’t be happy with the amount of game time he will get this season, according to ex-Reds defender and pundit Glen Johnson.
Johnson does however believe that the Brazilian will still have a huge role to play under Jurgen Klopp with a year left on his contract.
Speaking to GGRECON, Johnson stated:
“You don’t want to lose too many players who know the club inside out. I don’t know if Firmino will be one of the first names on the teamsheet next season but I definitely believe that he will play a big part,” said the former England international.
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“Let’s face it, if you’re a top player you want to play every single week so I don’t know how he feels about potentially playing a bit less next season.
Jurgen Klopp obviously loves him and he’s a legend of the club, but is he going to be happy playing the last twenty minutes in certain games? Probably not.”
Firmino has played more than any other player under Jurgen Klopp at Anfield, featuring for the Reds 327 times - scoring 98 goals and registering 67 assists in all competitions.
He signed for Liverpool under previous manager Brendan Rodgers in 2015, for the second highest ever fee spent by the Reds at the time, £29m, only bettered by Andy Carroll and then later that window, Christain Benteke.
After a slow start, it became abundantly clear that Firmino was a top-class performer, as he became a key cog in Klopp’s 4-3-3 system.
The trio of Firmino, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane became renowned and feared across the land, but with Mane gone and Salah signed up, Firmino is the last man to decide where his future lies.
At just 30, he will clearly feel he has much more to offer than being just a squad player at Anfield, but with some top performances to begin the campaign, he may just force his way back in.
Topics: Liverpool, Roberto Firmino
Chris Stonadge