Nathaniel Clyne and Xherdan Shaqiri were conspicuous by their absence as Liverpool returned to training, with the seldom-seen duo linked with moves to West Ham and Newcastle United recently, as reported by the Liverpool Echo.
It speaks volumes about the strength and quality at Jurgen Klopp’s disposal that the England and Switzerland internationals have barely had a look in all season long.
Shaqiri, a Champions League winner with Bayern Munich who has represented his country at two World Cups, has just two Premier League starts to his name in 2019/20. That is two more than Clyne, the forgotten man of Anfield who now finds himself a million miles behind Trent Alexander-Arnold in the pecking order.
Clyne is set to become a free agent in the summer and Liverpool will not stand in his way if West Ham or Crystal Palace come calling. Goal reports that Palace would love to bring the 29-year-old back to Selhurst Park, almost a decade after he left to join Southampton.
Newcastle, meanwhile, will offer the £25 million-rated Shaqiri a fresh start at St James’ Park if that long-awaited takeover finally goes through, according to the Mail.
And with neither Clyne nor Shaqiri spotted at Melwood as Liverpool edge ever closer to a return to action at last, it remains to be seen whether two players who lifted the Champions League trophy a year ago have played their final game in that iconic red shirt.
Newcastle, West Ham and Crystal Palace will be watching developments closely.
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