OPINION
There’s no doubt that Liverpool midfielder Adam Lallana has been unlucky with injuries throughout his time with the club, there’s no disputing that.
However, the 31-year-old may now have been given a fresh lease on life with the European champions by manager Jurgen Klopp. The Evening Standard reported on Wednesday that the former Southampton man has seen his role changed dramatically in the team’s first two pre season games this summer.
Instead of taking up his usual role as a number 10, a playmaker extraordinaire, or perhaps even as a winger, the England international has taken up residence in an unfamiliar holding midfield role.
Now, it’s going to be extremely difficult for him to make that position his own at Anfield, but for the good of his Liverpool career he must latch onto it. Otherwise he could face an increasingly inevitable exit from the club.
As per Spotrac, Lallana has another two years to run on his £110,000-per-week contract, and so if the Reds want to make some money off him – which they surely would – they will likely look to sell him next summer. That means the Englishman has 12 months to save his Liverpool career.
He must now show the versatility that has so endeared his compatriot James Milner to manager Jurgen Klopp. He has the technical ability to make a success of his positional switch, even if there are doubts over whether he is physical enough to be a holding midfielder.
However, there is a precedent for this sort of thing. Ryan Giggs switched from a winger to a deep-lying central midfielder towards the end of his Manchester United tenure and, while Lallana has never been near that calibre of player, he has the skills to do well in a deeper role.
If paired alongside a more physical defensive-minded central midfielder, such as Fabinho, then you could envision him doing well in his new position.
He certainly needs to, otherwise this could be the beginning of the end for him on Merseyside.
