The manager of Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp has stressed that there is no age limit at the Premier League club, noting that the club would benefit from retaining players at the club.
Under coach Jurgen Klopp’s era at Liverpool which started in 2015, the Premier League side is not known for letting its star players leave the club except on rare occasions some of the players decide to leave for a big-money move.
Though coach Klopp said Liverpool have a policy of not buying players in their 30s because the players can hardly be resold to another club, they always make effort to keep those players who are already at the club even if they are in their 30s.
He went on to give reasons why there is no age limit at Liverpool. He cited examples of players like Robert Lewandowski of Bayern Munich, Lionel Messi of Paris Saint Germain, and Cristiano Ronaldo of Manchester United who has been dominating the Ballon d’Or despite being in their 30s.
Hence, the coach added that it is not a law that players peaked in their mid-20s, but players who take care of themselves can have a longer career.
The German tactician said: “One or two years ago the first three players of the Ballon d’Or, apart from Salah who is slightly younger, were all 34 or older,” Klopp said ahead of Liverpool’s match against Burnley on Sunday.
“Lewandowski is 33, then Messi and Ronaldo [are] 34 and 37 and if you are lucky enough to get through a career without major injuries you can play longer.
“There is no peak mid-20s. The massive advantage of the early 30s, mid-30s is the player can see things in the right way having learned in his career.
“He can use that and he can be an even better player than he was a few years before and that is the plan with all of them. There is no age roof.
“For clubs it is different, they think ‘we won’t sign a 33-year-old because we cannot sell him anymore but if the player is already in then it is outstanding to have him around because they have experience, desire, and quality.”
.@LFC manager Jurgen Klopp's views on the worth to the squad of of players aged over 30 is very interesting if applied to the current forward line – and one player in particular pic.twitter.com/yrajd5yMhQ
— Carl Markham (@carlmarkham) February 12, 2022
The submission of Jurgen Klopp about the age limit at Liverpool is good news for Mane, Salah, Roberto Firmino, and James Milner
The fact that coach Jurgen Klopp had said there is no age limit at Liverpool, is good news for some of the star players at the club like Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane who would soon clock 30.
It is also good news for Roberto Firmino who will clock 31 in October and James Milner who turned 36 in January.
Unfortunately for 29-year-old Salah, 29-year-old Mane, and Firmino, their contracts with Liverpool will expire in the next 16 months which is a pressure on them and the club due to their ages.
Liverpool are willing to renew Salah’s contract but the Egyptian wants to be paid above £400,000-per-week which is against the policy of the club’s owner Fenway Sports Group. The group does not like to offer players in their 30s such a lucrative deal.
Aside from the financial complications, the Fenway Sports Group is willing to extend the contract of the footballers even if they are in their 30s due to how fantastic they have been so far.
Even James Milner who is 36-year-old and whose contract with the club expires on June 30, 2022, could get a contract extension if the wish of coach Jurgen Klopp is anything to go by.
Talks ongoing for James Milner contract, Jurgen Klopp confirms: “There are talks – but like always, we usually don’t comment further on that”. 🔴 #LFC
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) February 12, 2022
“The club will be in talks with Milner, so we will see. There is no chance that Milly will retire”. pic.twitter.com/0h4O681cdr
“There is no chance Milly will retire next year, he is desperate to play on and I understand,” Jurgen Klopp said.
“Life after your career, when you are lucky enough to stay healthy, is much longer than your career so you usually extend your career as long as you can if you can play football.
“I think Milly will be fine after his career as well but he obviously loves what he is doing and he will play football next year, definitely.”
Liverpool are currently sitting on the second spot on the Premier League table with 51 points in 23 games, 12 points away from first-placed Manchester City. Their next league game is against Burnley which is scheduled to take place at 15:00 later today, February 13, 2022.
