Xhaka offers Shaqiri Switzerland armband to end feud

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Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka has offered Xherdan Shaqiri the Switzerland captaincy in order to get the Liverpool playmaker back in the international squad.

Shaq has decided to stay at Melwood and train under Jurgen Klopp, rather than go away with his country, which seems a very surprising decision considering he hasn’t played a minute of football yet this season.

It’s not been confirmed, but rumours suggest the reason Shaq doesn’t want to play for Switzerland right now is because he feels disrespected at not being given the temporary captaincy in the absence of Stephan Lichtsteiner – who is the official skipper – but not near the squad yet due to injuries…

“If the Captain’s band really is the problem, then we can sit together at one table,” Xhaka told reporters, cited by Arsenal fansite Daily Cannon. “We are grown up enough to talk about it.

“If he really has a problem about that [the captaincy], then he may like the Captain’s armband. That’s no problem for me. It does not matter to me if I have it. I want to give everything to the team, whether tat’s with the band or without.”

Xhaka’s comments feel a little passive aggressive in all honesty – hinting that Shaq isn’t committed and has selfish motives.

We have no idea if that’s the case, but feel a little sorry for our pint-sized attacker.

He’s never done much wrong when on the field at Liverpool, but has clearly fallen out of favour with Klopp.

The Reds boss doesn’t even bring him off the bench when we’re coasting to victories – and we cannot imagine seeing him stay at Anfield past the end of this season if things stay as they are.

A season in football though is a very long time.

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