Former Liverpool left back Emiliano Insua blames Roy Hodgson for his early exit from Anfield in a new interview with the Argentinian defender.
Liverpool have had many young stars who have left Anfield early, only to be a success elsewhere. One we rarely hear about is Argentinian left back Emiliano Insua who was shoved out of the club by Roy Hodgson in 2011.
The defender was a highly rated recruit by Rafa Benitez and made his move to Anfield in 2007 from Boca Juniors at the age of 18. He made a fleeting number of appearances in his first three seasons before being handed the left back role in the 2009-2010 season.
More from Rush The Kop
- Set to return, Virgil Van Dijk facing heavy criticism back home
- Liverpool making late comebacks all the rage once again
- Wolves tilt gives Klopp opportunity to tinker with lineup following international duty
- Players to watch in the matchup with Wolves
- Predicting Liverpool’s Next Five Premier League Fixtures
Brazilian Fabio Aurelio began that season injured and Benitez didn’t trust Andrea Dossena defensively so gave Insua his big opportunity. After some initial adjustments he cemented his place in the first team.
Benitez was sacked at the end of the season and Roy Hodgson was installed as the new manager. One of his first signings was Paul Konchesky to play at left back. Insua was told that he would be second fiddle to the useless Englishman and promptly left on-loan to Galatasaray. That move was made permanent in 2011.
Speaking to the Guardian he shares: “I wanted to stay but Hodgson told me I will not play. I was young and I wanted to play, so I left. Hodgson then signed Paul Konchesky to be the left-back but Konchesky did not do well for Liverpool. Maybe I should have stayed?”
Hodgson’s reign at Liverpool is widely considered to be the lowest point for the club on the pitch in modern history. Boardroom struggles, a underinvested playing squad, a split fanbase and an owl-faced chancer at the helm.
Perhaps Insua should have stuck it through six more months, but I don’t blame him for leaving.