OPINION
The life of a back-up forward at Liverpool can never be easy when having to watch their prolific front-three from the bench.
Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, and Roberto Firmino have cemented their spots at Anfield in the past two years, and there is little chance of anyone overtaking them in the pecking order.
Xherdan Shaqiri has only started 11 Premier League games for the Reds since joining from Stoke City and has appeared off the bench more times – being called upon in 15 separate games.
The Switzerland international is never easy to keep quiet and has spoken out on numerous occasions about his discontent over his standing in the Liverpool squad.
Football Insider have recently reported that Shaqiri will look to leave the club at the end of the season after becoming frustrated by his lack of minutes in the first team.
The reputable football outlet claimed on their website that Jurgen Klopp would block any potential exit in January, but would not stand in his way in the summer.
Klopp commented on the future of Shaqiri in his pre-match press conference on Friday morning and was quoted by James Pearce on his personal Twitter account.
“When I’m with him he’s completely happy,” he said.
“Of course he has a future here.”
On Shaqiri future: "When I'm with him he's completely happy. Of course he has a future here."
— James Pearce (@JamesPearceLFC) November 22, 2019
The 28-year-old has always performed to the highest of his ability when starring for his country and proved that in the UEFA Nations League.
Shaqiri averaged 3.2 shots on goal per game according to WhoScored, and that is the form that Klopp would need to discover for him to stand any chance of having a future at the club.
Given that Klopp is happy with Shaqiri in training, it could lead to the winger earning more minutes in the coming weeks, and that could give the Swiss international hope that his future is still at Anfield rather than elsewhere.
The Liverpool winger is therefore surely conflicted over his future given the comments by Klopp as if he sticks around, then his game time might improve.
