‘Obviously people don’t watch football enough!’: Jurgen Klopp admits he was shocked a ‘proper offer’ didn’t come in for ‘outstanding striker’ Divock Origi this summer and insists he’ll be seen as a legend when he leaves Liverpool
- Divock Origi put on a superb performance on his return to the Liverpool team
- The striker laid on an assist for Mo Salah as Liverpool defeated AC Milan 3-2
- Jurgen Klopp insisted he is an ‘outstanding striker’ and will go down as a legend
- The Reds boss said he was shocked no clubs tried to sign him in the summer
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has admitted he was surprised that a ‘proper offer’ did not arrive for Divock Origi this summer despite the forward being made available.
Origi, who was handed his first start since January in Liverpool’s 3-2 Champions League victory over AC Milan, reminded everyone of his quality by providing a sumptuous assist for Mohamed Salah.
The forward went off after the hour mark with cramp before Jordan Henderson scored a stunning strike from outside the box to seal their remarkable comeback victory.
Jurgen Klopp admitted he was shocked no clubs made a bid to sign Divock Origi this summer
Origi was expected to depart Liverpool in the summer, having been regularly kept out of the starting XI by Sadio Mane, Salah and Roberto Firmino.
However, the Belgian ended up staying put after no suitable offers came in. Klopp admitted after Wednesday night’s victory he was shocked that no clubs pursued him in the summer and insisted Origi will be viewed as a ‘legend’ when he eventually leaves the club.
‘People forget how good he is,’ Klopp told BT Sport.
‘It’s difficult to get in this team. In the summer transfer window we all thought there would be a proper offer, but obviously people don’t watch football enough!
Origi performed well on his first start since January as Liverpool fought back to beat AC Milan
‘Div is a sensational striker and did really well today.’
Origi was not the only surprise inclusion for their Group B opener against Milan, with Virgil van Dijk and Mane left out while Joe Gomez was brought in for his first start in nearly a year.
Klopp insisted the rotation was a necessity and reserved special praise for ‘outstanding striker’ Origi after his performance.
The Liverpool boss added: ‘He’s a great guy. He’ll be seen as a legend when he leaves.
‘He could have left in the summer but football is a crazy place and people forgot how good he is. We have to decide the positions. He did nothing wrong.’
Origi joined Liverpool in 2014 and has won the Champions League, the Premier League, the FIFA Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup during his time at Anfield.
The 26-year-old’s most memorable moment in a Liverpool shirt undoubtedly came when he scored in the Champions League final to wrap up victory over Tottenham back in 2019.
Jordan Henderson struck a stunning second-half winner for Liverpool on Wednesday night