OPINION
Divock Origi has been towards the bottom of the pecking order at Liverpool for some time now, and that is certainly no surprise given the talent that is around him.
After all, when you are competing for a first team place alongside the likes of Mo Salah, Roberto Firmino and Daniel Sturridge, you might as well resign yourself to a fringe role within the squad.
That is exactly what Origi has been doing – he has only made five appearances in all competitions this season – so it is safe to say that he is not going to make a breakthrough any time soon.
This is why Jurgen Klopp’s stance on his future is rather bizarre.
The Liverpool Echo report that the manager is keen to keep the 23-year-old around the first team fold for the remainder of the season, which does not make any sense in the slightest.
This is because of Dominic Solanke being sold to Bournemouth recently – but keeping Origi at Anfield is just going to hamper his progress, namely as he will not feature in many games.
Wolves, West Ham and Fulham have all been interested in taking the Belgian attacker on, and either of the three clubs would be the perfect place to improve and get more minutes under his belt.
However, now that Klopp has decided to keep him for the rest of the season, that will not be able to happen.
The report adds that the manager wants him around in order to maintain their title bid, which is strange given that he will not be playing a major role.
Klopp only wants him as back-up for the likes of Salah and Firmino, which in turn indicates just how highly he regards the £20million valued player.
The manager needs to make an imminent U-turn regarding the future of Origi this season – as condemning him to the fringes is not fair on him at all.
