Former Liverpool full-back Glen Johnson, who played with Xherdan Shaqiri at Stoke City last season, says the Swiss winger could be being left out of the Reds team for disciplinary reasons.
Shaqiri was often the Reds’ first sub during the first half of the season when he wasn’t selected from the start, but he hasn’t been seen since February 24 and his last start was back in January.
His former teammate Johnson was a guest on the BBC Radio 5Live Football Daily Podcast where he spoke about a range of topics regarding his career.
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On Shaqiri, Johnson said: “When things were going well, he’d be a big player for us and he’d perform. When things weren’t going well, he’d be hit and miss. That was obvious to see.”
Asked whether Shaqiri would have ‘had a strop’ because he wasn’t getting game-time, Johnson added: “Most likely. Jurgen won’t deal with it – he’ll put it to bed.”
The 27-year-old does seem to have a reputation for ill-discipline, but whether Johnson is correct or not remains to be seen.
Hopefully, he’s wrong and Shaqiri can come back into the equation over the next few weeks – he could make a big difference either from the start or off the bench in the coming matches as the Reds challenge for a Premier League and Champions League double.