Former Liverpool midfielder Jonjo Shelvey was “ordered” to stay away from the Nottingham Forest squad when they travelled to Anfield over the weekend after objecting to his role.
Forest travelled to Anfield for the first time since 1998, and in their ranks were three ex-Reds: Neco Williams, Taiwo Awoniyi and Shelvey.
Both Williams and Awoniyi were named in Steve Cooper’s starting XI, but Shelvey was absent from the squad entirely.
The reason for that, as reported by the Telegraph‘s John Percy, was due to a “furious” reaction to the news that he would be a substitute for the fixture.
Percy stated that Shelvey was “ordered to stay home” after reacting badly to Cooper’s team selection, ensuring a return to Liverpool was not on the cards.
Shelvey played 69 games for the Reds between 2010 and 2013 and has since signed for Swansea and Newcastle before making the move to Forest in the January window.
The 31-year-old has not hit the ground running at the City Ground and has made only eight appearances since his winter move.
In addition to his reaction to the news, the report goes on to say that “Cooper was unhappy with Shelvey’s performances in training last week and felt he had to take a stand.”
He now has an uphill battle to win the manager over as Forest fight for their Premier League safety in the remaining six fixtures.
The return to Liverpool was bittersweet for Williams, though, having scored a goal that Klopp cheekily insisted was “deflected,” with the defender posting on his social media that it “was nice to return back to Anfield.”
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