‘IT’S PROBABLY RIGHT TO MOVE ON’ – CARRAGHER URGES LIVERPOOL TO CONSIDER £10M SALE

Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher reckons it could be time for Joel Matip to move on from Anfield if the Reds receive a bid of at least £10m.

It was already announced last month that some big-name players would be leaving Liverpool this summer with James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita all available on free transfers.

Midfield is the top priority at Liverpool this summer but there have been rumours the Merseysiders are hoping to bring in a new centre-back.

Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk are Jurgen Klopp’s preferred partnership at centre-back with Matip – who joined Liverpool in 2016 – now unlikely to get much game time next season.

The former Cameroon international’s Premier League minutes have reduced from 2790 to 1093 this term and now Carragher reckons it could be wise to sell the centre-back if they get a decent offer.

“I look at the defence and I think Joel Matip now has got a year to go,” Carragher told Redmen Plus.

“If you got £10million, whatever the price may be, it’s probably right to move on.

“I do think we need a left-sided defender, a left-footed centre-back. A lot of teams have them, we don’t. A left-sided player would add something.

“Rather than getting a left-back because I don’t think we will, if we are going to continue with this formation now, (it should be) buying someone in that area, a centre-back who can do the full-back role.

“I definitely think a left-sided centre-back who can do that left-back job.”

Trent Alexander-Arnold had a poor first two thirds of the season but he has shone since being trialled as an inverted full-back in a 2-2 draw against Arsenal on Easter Sunday.

On Alexander-Arnold’s transformation, Carragher added: “I think his body language when he’s in midfield, compared to when he’s just been playing full-back, is completely different.

“It feels like I’m watching a faster, more energetic player. I see some of the passes he plays from midfield and no matter who we buy – even if we bought Jude Bellingham – how much more could he do than what he [Alexander-Arnold] does in midfield?

“I’m not sure, whoever you buy, whether you spend £100m on anyone, they can do much more than Trent. I think another season I’d be of the mind of saying ‘Let’s buy a right-back and put him in midfield’, because this kid is too good to not be the centre of this team. It’s his team.

“It is getting to the stage now where he is getting more mature and it will eventually become his team. He will end up being the captain. Take away the stuff he gets criticised for, which at times it is not great. He can improve on stuff, although he’ll never be amazing at it, so let’s focus on what he is amazing at. He’s amazing at that [midfield role], so leave him.”

2023-06-04T14:53:09Z dg43tfdfdgfd