Liverpool legend John Barnes has come under fire for his comments about midfielder Gini Wijnaldum.
The former Liverpool star was talking about the suitability of some players around the world for Jurgen Klopp’s system and compared them to some current squad members in a move that didn’t go down too well.
This comes as we’ve been linked with a whole host of names, from PSG superstar Kylian Mbappe to Valencia starlet Feran Torres and Lazio’s second striker Joaquin Correa.
The Daily Star ran his quotes, that they got from the Daily Mail. He said:
"“Klopp signs players to fit his system, not only because they looked great at their previous clubs.Ninety nine per cent of people wouldn’t pick [Jordan] Henderson and [Georginio] Wijnaldum above Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva or even Jack Grealish or James Maddison, but they work for Liverpool.”"
Liverpool fans aren’t too happy with what John Barnes, who played 407 times for the Reds, said about Gini as they feel it undervalues the contribution the Dutchman has made to the side and the talent that he brings to the team.
Henderson was definitely unfancied a few years into his Anfield career. He went from being a bright young star with Sunderland to Brendan Rodgers nearly selling the Mackam for the good of his own career.
But he was stubborn and refused to believe that he didn’t have a future with the club. All those years on and he comes to represent everything that’s good about this side under Klopp and it shows that progression in football isn’t always linear.
Wijnaldum has had a slightly different career path to end up where he is. The Dutchman was always a goal scoring attacking midfielder before he arrived at Liverpool, but the manager turned him into a key cog in the wheel of the side.
The season before his arrival, Wijnaldum scored 11 goals for Newcastle United as they were relegated to the Championship. He scores less now, but is a more rounded footballer and can still have an impact in the final third.
Would Grealish or Maddison fit into the side? Only if they were prepared to put the graft in and play within Klopp’s tactical shape.