Jurgen Klopp has now confirmed the reports of Roberto Firmino‘s exit in the summer, hailing the Liverpool striker after his goal against Man United.
The buildup to Liverpool’s clash with Man United was dominated by the news of Firmino’s decision to leave the club on the expiry of his contract.
Firmino will depart after eight glittering years on Merseyside, and in Sunday’s 7-0 thrashing of United he scored his 107th goal in 353 appearances so far.
It came, perhaps fittingly, off the bench, with reports in Germany claiming he has opted to leave after witnessing the emergence of Cody Gakpo, Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota as the next generation at Anfield.
Until post-match there had been no official word on Firmino’s situation, but speaking to Sky Sports, Klopp gave confirmation.
“It was not an easy decision for him,” the manager admitted.
“The reception he got today was absolutely outstanding.
“With all the wonderful goals he scored, that’s the goal he pretty much wanted the most.”
It isn’t over yet, of course, and the goal to cap a historic victory over United served as proof of that, with at least 14 more games before Firmino moves on.
And before he does bid farewell to Anfield, Firmino is expected to surpass Roman Weidenfeller and Nevan Subotic as the most-used player in Klopp’s managerial career.
He may no longer be a first-choice starter – and his fitness issues certainly haven’t helped that cause – but the 31-year-old is still an important player for Liverpool.
Hopefully, he can continue this late-season swansong as the Reds make a bid for the top four.
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