Speaking on the BBC Radio Five Live Football Daily Podcast, Shay Given has been discussing Roberto Firmino and the reports that emerged on Friday about his future at Liverpool.
Rumours emerged on Friday that Firmino will be leaving Liverpool at the end of the season, and these reports are coming from very reliable sources.
It appears that this story has been leaked from somewhere, and Given has questioned why this story is coming out at this time.
Given genuinely believes that nobody benefits from this story coming out just two days before the Reds’ game against Manchester United, stating that the timing of these reports are strange.
No winners
Given gave his verdict on the Firmino story emerging on Friday.
“I don’t know who benefits? Firmino will want to know that he’s leaving in the summer. Does he have something tied up already? He can talk to clubs abroad, maybe he already has something in the pipeline. Browny is right, two days before a massive game on Sunday, it’s strange timing,” Given said.
Bizarre
It is bizarre that this story broke on Friday just days before the game at Anfield against Manchester United.
With Liverpool in such poor form, they need to get their heads straight ahead of Sunday’s game, but now, this uncertainty about Firmino’s future provides an unnecessary distraction.
All of the talk before the game will be about Firmino, and that may lead to some of Liverpool’s players losing focus ahead of this match as they seek clarification on what is happening with the Brazilian.
The timing of this is strange, and as Given says, nobody benefits from this story coming out at this moment in time.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
