Dion Dublin heaped praise on Liverpool playmaker Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and claimed he never lets his side down.
The BBC pundit shared that he thought the 26-year-old playmaker has Klopp’s trust, despite being sparingly used this season, as the manager knows exactly what Oxlade-Chamberlain can bring to the team.
Dublin shared that he thought Oxlade-Chamberlain delivered performances worthy of a seven and a half or eight rating every time he steps on the pitch.
“I think he knows what he can bring to the side when he is fit and flying,” said Dublin on BBC One’s Football Focus (12:09, Saturday, September 21st).
“Likes to get forward, likes to create, can score a goal as well.
“He never lets you down, he’s always a 7 and a half, eight, every single time he goes over the white line.
“And the big thing is, the manager trusts him, I think the Ox is in a good place at the moment and is at the perfect club.”
OPINION
Klopp has used Oxlade-Chamberlain sparingly this season with the 26-year-old yet to complete 90 minutes in any match and you feel the German boss is protecting the playmaker. The 26-year-old spent over 300 days, as per Transfermarkt, after suffering a serious knee injury in his 2017/18 campaign and it makes sense not to throw him in the deep end by overplaying him. Oxlade-Chamberlain has only been able to show glimpses of his talent so far, but you feel once he gets fully up to speed, he’ll be an asset to the Reds going forward. The playmaker is yet to register a goal or an assist in the 196 minutes of Premier League action he has played this season, but he has looked lively as he has averaged 1.3 shots per game (Source: WhoScored). Oxlade-Chamberlain has also not been sloppy in possession during his league outings, something Klopp likely appreciates, as he has maintained a pass completion rate of 91.6%. It’ll be interesting to see how the midfielder fares as given more and more minutes as the season goes on, but it seems as far as Dublin is concerned, Oxlade-Chamberlain is at the right club as far as his career is concerned.
