Bobby Duncan, who departed the Reds for Italy over the summer in less than amicable circumstances, has spoken out on the reasons behind him forcing the move.
Duncan has scored four times in 10 games for Fiorentina’s U19s but is yet to feature for the first team. Had he stayed on Merseyside for a little longer, he would have been with Neil Critchley and the U23s, while he could also have played in the Carabao Cup under Jurgen Klopp.
He told ViolaNation.com: “It was a difficult decision, to be honest. I was in a difficult moment at that time. Something was missing. It wasn’t over money. It wasn’t over anything else other than I want to play first-team football soon.
“In my mind, I thought I would go and play abroad. Serie A is just below the Premier League. I wanted to make a name for myself, show the Liverpool and Fiorentina fans who I am.
“I always loved Liverpool, but my love now is to the Fiorentina fans. I didn’t see the path forward for me [at Anfield].”
He might not have seen a way forward to the first-team immediately under Klopp, but admitting that Serie A is below the Premier League is not likely to go down well over in his new home.
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There is no mention of his mental health, either, which was a key part of the reasoning given by his agent, Saif Rubie, at the time his departure exploded.
Duncan remains an exceptional talent and it is a shame that he left in the manner that he did, but the Reds have other top prospects in his position, such as Rhian Brewster and Paul Glatzel.