‘Liverpool should go and get Upamecano’

David Lynch

• Updated: 17 May 2021 22:19 BST
• 1 min read

Liverpool legend Steve Nicol has urged Jurgen Klopp to solve his defensive crisis with the signing of Dayot Upamecano.

After losing Virgil van Dijk to an ACL injury last month, the Reds were hit with another major blow this week as Joe Gomez was forced to undergo surgery on tendon damage that is likely to also sideline him for the majority of the campaign.

Klopp now has just one senior central defender at his disposal, the injury prone Joel Matip, with midfielder Fabinho and youngsters Nat Phillips and Rhys Williams in support.

Consequently, Nicol hopes to see highly rated RB Leipzig man Upamecano brought to the club when the transfer window opens.

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He told ESPN FC: “Oh my goodness, [Liverpool’s title chances] drop a good 20, 25 per cent from where they were, without Van Dijk.

“I think right now Liverpool absolutely, because of this injury, have to go out and spend a lot of money.

“Joe Gomez, at 23 years of age, has already had two major surgeries. That means the chances of it happening again rise.

“You’re talking about percentages of Liverpool defending [the title], you talk about percentages of a player having another bad injury.

“So I think this forces them into it and they should go and get Upamecano.”