Liverpool have endured a woeful season on the pitch and are 10 points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal after the first 18 rounds of games. The Reds have improved in recent weeks, but a dire run between the end of September and late November saw their hopes of retaining the title go up in smoke.
Liverpool boss Arne Slot has also been forced to deal with a huge distraction off the pitch, with star winger Mohamed Salah claiming at the start of December that he had been thrown “under the bus” by his club. And Salah, who is currently representing Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations, could have already played his last game for the Reds.
Express Sport takes a look at five players who may never play for Liverpool again...
Mohamed Salah
Salah’s outburst came after he failed to make it onto the pitch during Liverpool’s 3-3 draw with Leeds at Elland Road.
He was subsequently left out of the Reds squad for their trip to Inter Milan in the Champions League, but returned to action against Brighton a few days later.
Salah will be away from Anfield for a while longer as Egypt have reached the knockout stages of the Africa Cup of Nations. And Liverpool may decide to sanction his exit before he returns to England, with a transfer to the Saudi Pro League potentially on the table.
Stefan Bajcetic
Stefan Bajcetic was slowly brought into the fold at Anfield during Jurgen Klopp’s time in charge. But he has suffered injury setbacks in recent years and hasn’t featured in a single first team game under Slot.
The 21-year-old has been sidelined with a hamstring injury since. But Slot, who shipped the midfielder off on loan to UD Las Palmas during the second part of last season, may feel the star should resurrect his career away from Anfield when he does return to match fitness.
Kostas Tsimikas
Kostas Tsimikas impressed for many years in his role as Andy Robertson’s understudy. But following Milos Kerkez’s arrival on Merseyside, he was sent to Roma on loan for a season.
The 29-year-old is unlikely to ever become Liverpool’s first-choice left-back. So he may look for a permanent move next summer.
Vitezslav Jaros
Czech goalkeeper Vitezslav Jaros has only ever appeared in two first team matches for Liverpool since joining the club as a 15-year-old in 2017.
He has spent a large part of his Reds career out on loan, with the 24-year-old joining Ajax at the start of this season. The keeper has become Ajax’s No. 1 this year, so may try to make his transfer permanent at the end of the campaign.
James McConnell
Like Jaros, James McConnell also joined Ajax on loan in the summer. The 21-year-old midfielder has made 13 first team appearances for the Reds, but may feel he has a brighter future in the Netherlands if Ajax are interested in keeping him next summer.