Football

Liverpool's Shaqiri plan after Swiss comes in from cold with Carabao Cup goal


Liverpool’s forgotten man Xherdan Shaqiri provided a timely reminder of his qualities during the midweek Carabao Cup win over Lincoln.

Shaqiri made the most of his first start since December, curling in the Reds’ opener during Thursday’s 7-2 victory which set up a fourth-round clash against Arsenal.

Jurgen Klopp was effusive in his praise of the Swiss international after the win, describing his performance as “super”.

And the 28-year-old looks to have been given an Anfield lifeline after it appeared he would be on his way out of the club this summer.

Shaqiri made just three starts for Liverpool last season, having been increasingly sidelined due to the electric form of Mohamed Salah over the past couple of campaigns.

Xherdan Shaqiri opened the scoring for Liverpool on his first start since December

His most recent start was in the Club World Cup semi-final towards the back end of last year, and he made just 11 appareances in total last season.

But he certainly grasped his chance to impress when a line-up of squad players took on League One high-flyers Lincoln on Thursday.

Nine minutes into the game, Shaqiri curled his free-kick to perfection past Imps keeper Alex Palmer, landing it just under the crossbar.

He showed he remains a quality option, either on the right flank or as an attacking central midfielder – which is where he played against Lincoln.

Shaqiri has three years remaining on his Reds contract

Two-goal hero Takumi Minamino and new signing Diogo Jota also impressed at Sincil Bank, while Divock Origi also got on the scoresheet as Liverpool showed they have the offensive strength in depth to launch a silverware hunt on multiple fronts this season.

But despite the wealth of attacking options available to the Reds, there are no plans to sell Shaqiri, according to Goal.

The publication says that stance may change if a suitable offer comes in, with Transfermarkt valuing him at £14million.

Liverpool would likely want more than that to tempt them into selling, with that figure skewed by his lack of action last season.

Klopp certainly indicated that Shaqiri’s Anfield future looked “promising” – although the manager appeared to leave the door open to the possibility of a move.

Should Liverpool sell Xherdan Shaqiri? Have you say here

Shaqiri’s free-kick was curled to perfection past Lincoln City goalkeeper Alex Palmer

Thiago Alcantara blew fans away on his Liverpool debut – but he came close to signing for rivals Arsenal

Liverpool are keen to repeat last season’s success – and you don’t want to miss a thing, surely?

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Liverpool got their title defence off to a shaky start as they edged out a seven-goal thriller against Leeds.

In terms of transfers the Reds have completed the signing of Thiago Alcantara and Wolves’ Diogo Jota has arrived too, in a shock deal worth a potential £45million.

Youngster Ki-Jana Hoever is set to head to Wolves in a £10million deal, while Gini Wijnaldum continues to be linked with Barcelona. There’s a lot to keep track of.

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“It was a super game from Shaq in a quite, I’m not sure, unfamiliar position – slightly deeper in midfield,” said Klopp after Thursday’s game. “He did it really, really well.

“There is no doubt about Shaq’s quality. There never was, and in the moment everything looks really, really good, it looks promising. We will see.”





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