2 Apr 2016

Nightmare Season: 'Frustrated' £20m Liverpool attacker explains why he's 'lost all motivation'

Last month, Jurgen Klopp made it clear that on-loan Liverpool attacker Lazar Markovic is 'welcome' back at Anfield next season, and based on the Serb's latest comments, it appears that a return to Merseyside is quickly becoming a foregone conclusion.

At the beginning of March, Klopp told the Liverpool Echo:

“We had a little talk...and if he [Markovic] wants to come back to Liverpool, he’s welcome. We are short on wingers. Everybody involved in pre-season can have a part to play next season".

Markovic - hailed by Jordan Henderson as a 'fantastic' player - has suffered a regular stream of injuries this season, and in a Thursday interview with Turkish newspaper Fanatik, he mewled:

"Now I'm so frustrated. I want to contribute to the team play, after all my injuries I've lost all motivation".


After missing 15 games through injury this season, Markovic's frustration is understandable, but his mental weakness is the real issue. Man-up already! Markovic is paid obscene wages to kick a ball around, and if he gets injured, then he should suck it up and work hard to get fit again.

Plenty of players get injured, but they have force themselves to remain positive, and double-down on the hard work to pull themselves out of the situation. Markovic should follow the example of Danny Ings, who suffered an infinitely more serious injury, but hasn't wallowed in self-pity over it.

Injuries aside, Markovic has made a negligible impact for Fenerbahce this season. So far, he's grabbed 2 goals/3 assists in 20 games (Goal every 587 mins), and he hasn't scored a single league goal all season. As a comparison: ex-Red Dirk Kuyt has 24 goals/assists in 32 games in the Eredivisie (a league of comparative quality), and he is 35.

Reds legend Mark Lawrenson just about summed it up in a recent interview:

"Markovic didn't do enough at Anfield, and you can only give a player so many chances. You have to be realistic and a touch harsh: How many times did he get to the byline and cross? How many did he score? Not many".

If Markovic can't do the business in the Turkish league, he's not going to excel in the Prem, and in my view, the best thing to do is sell him to the highest bidder.

Author: Jaimie K


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