Danny Murphy believes Liverpool won’t be in the running to re-sign this summer even if the club’s fans would welcome him back with open arms.
The international’s move to hasn’t panned out as expected and he is likely to be deemed surplus to requirements in the summer as accelerates his rebuilding project.
A host of Premier League clubs, including the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United and Newcastle, have been linked with moves for the former Liverpool ace.
And while the Anfield faithful would surely jump at the chance to bring home a player who was essential to the success the club has enjoyed under Jurgen Klopp, Murphy feels Liverpool’s priorities lie elsewhere.
He told : ‘I think the fans would take him, but you would have to get rid of someone.
‘They have five forward, or six even, and that is a huge chunk of their budget on a player and position they don’t need. They need midfielders. So I can’t see it.’
Klopp’s focus is likely to centre on strengthening his engine room in the summer, especially given the impending departures of Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and James Milner.
Captain Jordan Henderson is ready for the challenge a midfield overhaul will bring and is confident he and the team can rediscover the consistency which will allow them to close the gap to Manchester City next season.
Henderson will be 33 by then and entering his 13th season at the club but is relishing the competition which he may face, with Liverpool interested in Brighton’s Argentinian World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister as one of their options.
‘I don’t think it’s a rebuild to be honest. I do think there will be new players coming in. A rebuild is changing an entire team – which I don’t think we will be doing,’ said Henderson, speaking at NHS Charities Together event at a school in Crewe.
‘I think you have a lot of core players in the team that will still be there and are still in great shape to compete and be successful. But yes, it will need freshening up of course with players leaving and trying to improve the team.
‘I am sure players will be coming in at some point to give us a boost and freshen things up a bit and hopefully put us in good position come the first game of the season.’
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