Liverpool legend Steve Nicol has labelled Reds midfielder Adam Lallana the ‘odd man out’ at Anfield next season.
Lats summer’s midfield signings of Fabinho, Naby Keita and Xherdan Shaqiri increased the competition in the middle of the pitch exponentially, while Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s return to fitness has reduced the 31-year-old’s opportunities even further.
Nicol is worried about him: “I think it’s pretty clear the odd man out in that lot is Lallana,” he told ESPN FC, as per the Daily Star. “At his best he can give you a little sparkle.
“Unfortunately, in his time at Liverpool, he’s not really been at his best very often. So right now, for me, he is the one completely on the out.”
OPINION
This is a pretty rough verdict from Nicol, but it’s hard to say he’s wrong. The England international is a phenomenally talented player and always has been, but injuries have completely derailed his time on Merseyside. Jurgen Klopp is obviously a fan, otherwise he would have brutally gotten rid of him like Dominic Solanke and Danny Ings, so there remains some hope that Lallana can work his way back into the German’s first choice line up. However, he very much seems like the man who will be sat on the sidelines out of the Reds midfielders. When you consider all the players who can operate in the middle of the park at Anfield, the former Southampton man is very much towards the back of the queue. You’d think Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, Georginio Wijnaldum, Keita, James Milner and Oxlade-Chamberlain are all ahead of Lallana in the pecking order, while Shaqiri could be favoured as well. So, it’s difficult to argue with Nicol, here.
