01 February 2024 , 12:43
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Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp was told in no uncertain terms by Graeme Souness that Divock Origi and Xherdan Shaqiri were not up to standard.
The duo were very much back-up options during their spells at Anfield, serving to aid the trio of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane. When one of them were injured, either Origi or Shaqiri would step up, but there was often an obvious drop off.
Their regular roles as subs meant their goal returns were never off the scale, albeit they each came up with their own individual moments, some of which are etched into the club's recent history. Souness though maintained that neither man was offering much.
He said several years ago: "They've got nothing up front. I'm sorry, Origi and Shaqiri [aren't good enough]. [Mohamed] Salah's up there on his own. We're used to Mane taking people on, Firmino sliding clever balls in. What you're getting is what I expected from the other two - not a lot."
Klopp has since moved both players on with a need to play more regularly a major motivator for both players. In the summer of 2021 Shaqiri moved on to French outfit Lyon, fetching a decent fee when he headed over to Ligue 1.
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Twelve months later and Origi was allowed to leave when his contract expired, eventually heading to AC Milan. He'd been at the club since the Brendan Rodgers days and the Liverpool boss maintained that he would leave Anfield as an absolute icon.
"Wherever he will go he will be successful, 100%," said Klopp when his departure was announced. "He is, and will be for me, forever a Liverpool legend, one of the most important players I ever had. That might sound strange with the amount of games he had but it was a pure joy to work together."
Divock Origi and Xherdan Shaqiri were both sold within a yearLiverpool have since rejigged their frontline, which once looked like it could almost be irreplaceable. Firmino moved to Saudi Arabia and Mane headed to Bayern Munich, but the Reds can now boast a forward line that has far more depth than it once did.
Klopp now has Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota, Cody Gakpo, Luis Diaz and Salah at his disposal. The quintet all offer a different dynamic with Salah the only man who is guaranteed a starting berth such is the competition for places.