Jurgen Klopp has been urged to wrap one Liverpool player ‘in cotton wool’ and not risk him in the Reds’ upcoming FA Cup fourth round tie against Norwich.
While Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota divided out the goals between them in the 4-0 win at Bournemouth on Sunday, Alexis Mac Allister also won plenty of praise for his performance at the Vitality Stadium.
Neil Jones was among those who were wowed by the Argentina midfielder against the Cherries, telling EOTK Insider: “I think that was his best all-round performance for Liverpool this season.
“Even in the first half when it was a bit of a sticky game, I think he was the one who rose above it and it looked like he had the answers. He played some absolutely lovely passes; the one he gave out to Darwin Nunez in the first half was remarkable.”
The journalist added of Mac Allister: “The only worry is keeping him fit at this moment in time when some of the midfielders are either dropping off like flies or away at international tournaments.
“I don’t expect to see him playing against Norwich at the weekend, for instance, as I think Liverpool need to wrap him up in cotton wool at the moment.”
As it stands, Klopp will be without Wataru Endo, Dominik Szoboszlai, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Thiago Alcantara and Stefan Bajcetic for the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg against Fulham on Wednesday night, and Curtis Jones may also be doubtful for the trip to Craven Cottage.
That’ll necessitate plenty of rotation among the Liverpool midfield for that game, as well as the FA Cup fixture against Norwich next Sunday, so there’s a strong possibility that Mac Allister will start at least one of those matches.
Considering how important the 25-year-old has become to the Reds right now, it’s likelier that he’d be rested for the latter of that domestic cup double header, especially with Chelsea coming up in the Premier League just three days after we host the Canaries.
Klopp can’t afford to be shorn of any more midfielders at the moment, so he’d be more than justified in omitting Mac Allister for either or both of the cup clashes, in the hope that some of the aforementioned names might be able to feature on Wednesday or, if that comes too soon, then possibly at the weekend.
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