Liverpool forward suffers World Cup heartbreak from ex-Everton boss

The World Cup dream is over for Liverpool forward Divock Origi who has been left out of the Belgian national squad by ex-Everton boss Roberto Martinez.

Liverpool striker Divock Origi is suffering World Cup heart-break after being left out of the 23-man Belgium squad for the FIFA 2018 World Cup in Russia. Belgium boss Roberto Martinez has failed to include the Liverpool man who has been a stalwart of national squads over the last four years.

Origi has been on-loan at Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga for the 2017/18 season after failing to usurp Dominic Solanke in Jurgen Klopp’s pecking order in pre-season.

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While getting plenty of playing time it has been an underwhelming campaign for Origi with only 7 goals and 2 assists as the club are fighting relegation.

Many will point to that form as the reason the forward missed out but there are others in the squad far less deserving. Ex-Liverpool striker Christian Benteke has only scored three goals this season for Crystal Palace and lost his place as striker to Wilfred Zaha by the end of the year.

Equally Manchester United reject Adnan Januzaj has just four goals for Real Sociedad and finds himself on the plane to Russia. Could there be more than just cold-hearted assessment of Divock Origi and his national colleagues?

Martinez is, of course, an ex-Everton boss. Once a blue, always a blue. He never won a game against Liverpool in his time in charge at Goodison Park and the bitterness runs deep. While his decision to leave out Origi is not outrageous it certainly looks bias in the light of Benteke’s inclusion.

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The good news for Liverpool is that they will have Divock Origi available and ready for pre-season. He has 21 goals for Liverpool and could find it out with Solanke and Danny Ings again for a reserve forward spot. The alternative is a healthy Origi is sold in pre-season to make way for a high-profile incoming forward like Lyon’s Nabil Fekir.