“I text him saying ‘just so you know I’m getting the captaincy’. It was just out of respect because I didn’t want him finding out off of someone else.

“I said ‘thanks very much for all you’ve done, I’m going to be Scotland captain, I hope it can be a success’ all that sort of stuff.

“And then he just text back in big capital letters ‘You are the real Scottish Braveheart now’!

“I gave him a thumb emoji and he gave me the wee dance emoji. Brilliant.”

This just sums up the brilliance of Klopp and his man-management skills.

Moreno Wants Liverpool Exit

Alberto Moreno‘s Liverpool future looks fairly cloudy and Estadio Deportivo claim his “priority” is to leave at the end of the season.

Moreno has only managed one start for the Reds in 2018/19, and just three appearances in total, with Robertson the undisputed first-choice left-back.

At 26, the Spaniard needs to be featuring more regularly, with a return to Sevilla mooted in recent weeks.

However, Philippe Coutinho would reportedly like to see him at Barcelona, while Atletico Madrid and Villarreal are also said to be interested.

Barcelona Chief Hints at Dembele Stay

Ousmane Dembele may have been linked with a switch Liverpool in January, along with a host of other clubs, but his future may still lie with Barcelona.

The club’s general manager, Pep Segura, has told La Cadena SER that improvements are required from the player, but he is going nowhere:

“There is no problem with Dembele. He is very young and has never had to make an effort like the one he is doing now to adapt to Barca’s game.

“We recognise that it is hard for him and he also recognises it, but we’re working to change this situation as quickly as possible.

“Yes, we had a meeting, just like I met with three other representatives, but it’s normal, it’s part of my job, they’re natural things.”

Not too much should be read into these comments, given the recent reports suggesting he will leave, and it will be interesting to see how things develop.

Wijnaldum Says Winning is Everything

Gini Wijnaldum is not getting too carried away with Liverpool’s excellent defensive record this season, with results the most important thing.

“It is good to hear, of course, but we are not playing for statistics—we are playing to win games and at the end of the season, we hope we can win something,” Wijnaldum told LiverpoolFC.com.

“Of course it is something good when you don’t concede goals because that makes it easier to win games and also suggests that we have defended well but I think you also need a little bit of luck.

“We saw that when we played against Man City and they had the penalty near the end but put it over the bar.”

Trent’s Star Showing Highlighted

Trent Alexander-Arnold enjoyed a night to remember for England on Thursday, scoring his first-ever senior goal for his country.

Not only that, the 20-year-old was given the Man of the Match award in the Three Lions’ 3-0 win over the USA, with post-match statistics outlining his influence.

According to WhoScored, Alexander-Arnold produced two key passes and made five tackles and two clearances, as well as enjoying 111 touches—more than any other England player.

The youngster has been going through a slight dip in form for Liverpool this season, so this will hopefully have done him the world of good.