Scotland international boss ignored Jurgen Klopp’s request but now Liverpool star Andy Robertson returns with an injury
Liverpool saw 25 players in total called up for their international break this month, with 17 of Jurgen Klopp‘s key players coming from the first-team squad.
The majority of countries took part in two friendlies rather than the usual qualifiers, which landed during an unfortunate schedule for clubs around Europe.
After Liverpool signed off with a 4-3 defeat at Manchester United in the FA Cup, Klopp expressed his hope that national team managers would take caution with their players.
In a post-match interview after the FA Cup defeat, asking about players’ international breaks, Klopp said:
“I am not exactly sure when they play the first games. I think probably Thursday or Friday, something like that, so until then it should be fine.”
“I think most of them have friendlies, Wataru I think has qualifiers. Can I make this decision for the managers? Most of them don’t speak the same language and I have no contact.”
“They want them as well in the best possible shape in the summer, so most of them play either Copa or Euros. So, I hope they don’t have to play now two games [of] 90 minutes and stuff like this, that would be helpful, but it is not in my hands.”
Scotland manager Steve Clarke is one of those who does share a common language with Klopp, but the Scottish boss made Andy Robertson start both of his country’s friendlies this month.
The Scottish captain had a game time of 90 minutes in the 4-0 loss to the Netherlands on Friday before going off-pitch with an ankle injury after 37 minutes in the 1-0 loss to Northern Ireland on Tuesday.
Robertson will now undergo a scan on Merseyside to determine the extent of his injury, with his reaction as he walked off the pitch at Hampden Park already prompting speculation over an early end to his season.
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That would be self-defeating in terms of Clarke’s selection process for two meaningless friendlies, as he would remain with a player, albeit his captain, who was already a guaranteed starter for both games rather than experimenting with new faces.
