Forgotten LFC ace starts for national side; World Cup spot likely

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Marko Grujic isn’t really considered as a starting option by fans or Jurgen Klopp.

But today, the 21-year-old played the first half of Serbia’s friendly with South Korea, putting in a solid display. He was withdrawn for Aleksander Kolarov as Serbia changed shape, but with the Europeans qualified for the World Cup, Grujic now has a realistic chance of going to Russia.

For Liverpool though, he’s played 13 minutes in the Premier League and five in the Champions League this term – probably not sufficient for a 21-year-old who’s already very physically developed.

There were huge hopes for Grujic when he first arrived after a dazzling pre-season, but injuries have hampered his progress.

Liverpool denied Grujic a loan move in the summer though, which suggests he is in Klopp’s plans – just at the back of them.

He’s doing well for the Under-23s, but obviously not well enough to dislodge the likes of Gini Wijnaldum or Emre Can from the starting XI.

Grujic would fit naturally into one of the no.8 roles either side of an anchorman, but with Naby Keita arriving in time for next season to fill one of those spots, there’s no obvious future for the Serb.

At EOTK, we’d be happy with Grujic getting a few starts in the coming weeks, certainly at home to Spartak Moscow in December, anyway.

If we don’t give him a chance, how will we know if he’s good enough?

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