OPINION
Liverpool fans have not seen as much of Xherdan Shaqiri this season as they perhaps would have liked to.
After signing from Stoke City in the summer, many of the supporters must have been excited to see what he could offer for the time. At the beginning of the season, Jurgen Klopp placed his faith in him – so far, so good.
However, things have gone on a rapid decline since then, and Klopp has basically overlooked the £80,000-a-week [Spotrac] player for virtually every starting line up in the last few weeks. He has been coming on as a substitute, but only as a timewasting tactic – coming on in the last couple of minutes hardly means a thing.
Nevertheless, despite the Swiss international being a talented player and all, there is no guarantee that he will feature against Huddersfield on Friday – or for the rest of the season in that matter.
He will surely be fuming if he is given the cold shoulder for the must-win clash, as to be honest, the Terriers are not going to be the toughest opponents the Reds would have come across this season. Klopp can surely afford to rest the likes of Jordan Henderson, right?
Shaqiri’s attacking instincts will provide an element of zest and energy to the middle of the park, and perhaps that is just what Klopp needs against a side with a relatively poor defence.
If the 27-year-old is snubbed for this game, then the writing is surely on the wall in terms of his first team prospects – if he is not unleashed, it would be a shame, as a player of his quality should be playing regularly in the Premier League.
Shaqiri is surely doing everything he can to get back into the side – and hopefully this will pay dividends on Friday.
