Henderson praise for Klopp & ticket prices cut for cup – Thursday’s Liverpool FC News & Rumour Roundup

September 6, 2018
Henry Jackson

We round up the latest Liverpool news and transfer rumours on Thursday, as many Liverpool players prepare for international duty.

Main Headlines

Henderson’s Praise For Klopp

Jurgen Klopp recently had plenty of kind words to say about Jordan Henderson, after the skipper signed a new five-year deal, and the favour has now been returned.

Speaking to the Mirror, the Liverpool skipper has lauded the impact Klopp has had on his career, and the club as a whole:

“As a manager, tactically he is amazing. What he has done at this football club since he came in is phenomenal really, the transformation.

“That’s no disrespect to Brendan [Rodgers] and anyone before. But I look at the transformation from when he first came in to where it is now and it has certainly gone up in terms of everything.

“He has brought the whole club together – the fans, the players, the staff. He has made younger players and older players even better. He is such a massive influence.

“For me, I’ve benefited so much from the last seven years here and now I’m ready to go even further, be better and help this club become successful. That’s where all my energy is into: to win trophies.”

Lewis Hopeful Of First-Team Opportunity

Adam Lewis is one of the most exciting players at Liverpool’s Academy right now, with the left-back already producing a number of eye-catching performances for the U23s this season.

In an interview with LiverpoolFC.com, Lewis says he is taking inspiration from the likes of Curtis Jones, Rafa Camacho and Nathaniel Phillips, in terms of potentially breaking into the first-team squad this season:

“I watched them in pre-season and Curt played some of the best football I have seen him play. He’s got to keep it going and make sure he keeps doing it because if he does he will get his chance, he has a lot of ability, the same with Rafa as well.

“Nat Phillips has also made the step up and with Ragnar Klavan leaving the club you never know what can happen.

“Seeing the likes of Curt, Rafa, Nat and Conor Masterson, before he got injured, going up to Melwood makes me think, wow, because our manager loves the youth players.

“As long as you have the ability and you can run then 100 per cent he will give you a chance.”

Lewis has every chance of achieving his goal if he continues his rich vein of current form – Alberto Moreno, watch out!

Emre Can ‘Right To Leave’ Reds

Former Liverpool midfielder Emre Can has been backed for making the right decision in leaving Anfield, from both a sporting and financial perspective.

Ex-Germany international Jurgen Kohler told Sport 1 Can had developed well with the Reds, but had to move on for the next phase in his career.

“He will earn more in Turin than in the Reds, which of course was a reason for the change.

“All players who say otherwise do not tell the truth. At that time I also left Bayern Munich because I could earn more money.

“It’s harder to win titles in Liverpool. With the Old Lady, he has the certainty to play at a top club, they enjoy a high reputation around the world.

“Emre is now in the prime of his life, even after a four-year contract, he can move on to Real Madrid or Barcelona. That was definitely worth considering.”

Emre Can, in the prime of his life, has so far played a total of 44 minutes for Juventus this season, appearing only off the bench in their opening Serie A games.

Liverpool Tracking Highly Rated Teenager

According to the Mail, Liverpool are monitoring the progress of highly-rated Rochdale youngster Luke Matheson.

Incredibly, the 15-year-old made his first-team debut on the same day he started Year 11 at school, having featured in their Checkatrade Trophy win over Bury on Tuesday.

Not only that, he also put in a Man of the Match performance on the night, no doubt striking fear into those set to face him in school matches this year!

The report states that Matheson “is being followed by Liverpool, United, Everton and Chelsea since making an impression on club staff over the past 15 months,” so it will be interesting to track his progress.

Milner Charity Match Latest

James Milner is spending part of the international breaking hosting a ‘Match for Cancer’ at Celtic Park, which takes place on Saturday.

The Reds’ vice-captain has plenty of former Liverpool players taking part against Stiliyan Petrov’s Celtic-themed opponents, with the duo’s own charity foundations benefiting from the proceeds.

“I appreciate the boys turning out, it’s going to be great fun hopefully and obviously it’s for a great cause. I’m sure it’ll be fun, we’ve got some great players there,” said the Reds midfielder.

“Stiliyan has had a charity game there before and there’s obviously some great names for the Celtic fans as well. Henrik Larsson is returning, among others.

“My team’s more of a Liverpool theme but there are some other names in there as well who I’ve played with from other clubs. So it should be a good game and hopefully good fun with plenty of quality players on show.”

Jurgen Klopp will be managing Milner’s side, with former Reds boss Brendan Rodgers in the opposite dugout.

Affordable League Cup Tickets Announced

Liverpool host Chelsea in the League Cup third round on either September 25 or 26, four days before the Reds head to Stamford Bridge for a Premier League clash.

Ticket information for the game has now been released, with juniors charged just £5 and adults and over 65s paying as little as £9 in the Main Stand.

It is refreshing to see the prices be so affordable for a game that won’t necessarily have as much importance as a league or European game.

Liverpool supporters’ union Spirit of Shankly took to Twitter to commend the decision, saying “we tell the club when they get it wrong. It’s fair we say when they get it right.”

More ticket information is available HERE.