James Milner and Virgil van Dijk have slammed Sevilla’s Joris Gnagnon following last night’s ‘friendly’ match against the Spanish outfit in Boston.
Near the end of the friendly – which had already seen a few yellow cards for tackles that were anything but – Gnagnon was sent off for a frankly wild and ridiculous ‘tackle’ on Yasser Larouci.
You can watch that challenge by clicking here. It was quite simply a disgrace – and Reds men were quick to support their teammate. During the game, some fans were so concerned about more players getting injured, they wanted Jurgen Klopp to pull his team off the pitch.
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Van Dijk said, via Goal.com: “Was it too much? I thought so yes, it was a disgraceful tackle. You don’t see many red cards in friendlies. It’s a tough one… but it’s a disgrace really.”
Milner also called the tackle a “disgrace” post-match as the Reds players expressed their disappointment at Gnagnon’s actions. He wasn’t the only Sevilla player to put in a stupid challenge, but his was by far the worst. When he recieved his marching orders, he somehow even tried to protest his innocence.
The Reds will be playing Sevilla in another friendly any time soon. We can only hope that Larouci has not suffered a serious injury setback. It didn’t look good as he left the field on a stretcher, while reports suggest that Larouci was on crutches as the Reds departed Fenway Park.