The 2022/23 football season is finally upon us with players across the Premier League returning to their clubs for pre-season training.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is back at Liverpool amid speculation he could have been leaving the club this summer.
However, despite the uncertainty surrounding his future, he’s taken a no mercy approach towards his dressing room antics, mocking 3rd choice goalkeeper Adrian’s fitness.
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Recorded on LFCTV, Oxlade-Chamberlain was seen to be in disbelief as to how slow the Spanish goalkeeper was running on a treadmill.
The England international jokingly remarked, “Too much paella or something, what’s going on!?” as Adrian commenced his pre-season training.
Oxlade-Chamberlain has had a difficult time of it in Liverpool in recent years, failing to return to his best form after tearing his ACL in 2018.
However, he’s always been a popular figure in the Anfield dressing room, and it’s good to see him in high spirits ahead of the new season.
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The former Arsenal man will have welcomed Jürgen Klopp’s decision to keep him around on Merseyside for the time being.
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With the Brit’s contract expiring next summer, one suspects he has one more chance to prove himself to his manager.
That won’t be an easy task at all, with some serious competition forming in Oxlade-Chamberlain’s preferred right-central-midfield role.
Klopp has as many as 5 players vying for a starting spot in that position – Jordan Henderson, Harvey Elliott, Curtis Jones, Naby Keita, and Oxlade-Chamberlain.
And even with that depth, some Liverpool fans aren’t satisfied with the Klopp’s options in that area of his team.
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All signs point towards Jude Bellingham joining the Reds next summer, and he’ll likely make that role his own long-term, but some Reds fans believe a new midfielder should be signed this summer.
Goals and assists from midfield is something Klopp’s team has consistently lacked since he was appointed as manager at Anfield in 2015.
For a while, it appeared Oxlade-Chamberlain could be the man to provide just that. He’ll be hoping to get back to his best and provide solutions for Klopp in that regard this season.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Liverpool