Steve Dawson has revealed that in his view, Divock Origi is not the ‘standard of player’ the Liverpool supporters want to see wearing the famous shirt.
Speaking on the Blood Red podcast following the Reds’ 2-0 victory over Aston Villa, he said: “The truth of the matter is he’s not the standard of player we want to see in a Liverpool shirt. From the squad that we currently have, I’d much rather see [Takumi] Minamino as another option up there if one of the big three up front is not going to be selected. I’d happily see [Xherdan] Shaqiri step in, I think I’d rather see Rhian Brewster there, as well.”
Origi has made 25 appearances for Jurgen Klopp’s side in the Premier League this season, scoring three goals and providing his teammates with three assists so far (as per Transfermarkt).
The Belgian international has scored a number of crucial goals for Liverpool, including a memorable last-minute winner against local rivals Everton in last season’s Merseyside derby at Anfield. He also came on as a substitute and scored in Liverpool’s UEFA Champions League triumph versus Tottenham Hotspur in Madrid back in June 2019.
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The 25-year-old is currently valued at £14.4m and has a contract with the club that could see him remain on Merseyside until June 2024. Since signing for the club from Lille, Origi has made 137 appearances for the Reds overall, scoring 33 times (via Transfermarkt).
Dawson clearly believes that the likes of Takumi Minamino, Xherdan Shaqiri and Rhian Brewster could all offer more to Klopp’s side if given the opportunity to start ahead of the Belgian. We believe the fact that Klopp has called upon Origi from the substitutes’ bench no fewer than 19 times this season suggests the German coach sees him as a valuable member of the squad.