‘Punching above his weight’: Aldridge suggests £25m man wasn’t good enough for Liverpool

Follow us on Google Discover

Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool are going to cruise to the Premier League title even after losing Emre Can to Serie A champions Juventus in 2018.

John Aldridge believes new Borussia Dortmund midfielder Emre Can regrets his decision to walk away from Liverpool in the summer of 2018, while admitting to the Echo that he once thought the German international wasn’t good enough for the Anfield giants.

It is hard to believe now, with Jurgen Klopp’s well-oiled winning machine a matter of weeks away from winning the Premier League title for the very first time, that the departure of Can some 18 months ago felt like a major blow to Liverpool’s prospects.

The former Bayern Munich youngster had refused to sign a new contract on Merseyside, a situation Klopp himself described as far from ‘cool’, and eventually departed to join Juventus on a five-year deal.

But, after less than two seasons in Turin, Can returned to Germany with Dortmund in a potential £25 million move after his Turin dream became more akin to a very lucid nightmare. He fell rapidly down the pecking order under Maurizio Sarri and, just to pour salt into the wounds, was even left out of Juve’s Champions League squad.

And Aldridge feels that he would make a very different career decision if he could turn down the clock now.

“To be honest I always felt was punching above his weight at Liverpool but he thought he could do better by moving on and it hasn’t worked out for him at Juventus,” said the legendary former forward.

“The fact he’s had to go back to Germany to try and salvage his career says a lot and is a warning to others that you walk away from Liverpool at your peril.”

Five years ago, as Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool reign started to unravel, Can was one of the few players at Anfield who looked worthy of that famous red shirt – even if Aldridge never bought into the hype. Some supporters even tipped the £10 million signing to succeed Steven Gerrard as captain.

Instead, however, it was fellow midfielder Jordan Henderson who would establish himself as a Liverpool legend while Can was stuck on the bench in Italy.