How will Liverpool cope with the potential exit of unhappy Shaqiri?

Bengaluru, November 18: Things have been going really well for Liverpool this season as they enjoy a commendable lead in the Premier League title race. The Reds are eight points ahead of both Leicester City and Chelsea, and nine points ahead of champions Manchester City who started the season as the favourites to retain their title.

However, the Reds will be worried a bit after reports emerged that one of their players Xherdan Shaqiri is frustrated due to lack of playing time at Anfield and could be seeking a move in the near future.

Well, Shaqiri's quality is unquestionable and the fact that he has just played 14 minutes of first-team football this season is enough reason to see why he is looking for a move.

The Swiss international is 28-years-old now and is behind the irreplaceable Mohamed Salah in the pecking order on the right flank. It's understandable that he wants to play more minutes but he also acknowledges the fact that it is hard to get those playing minutes if he remains at Liverpool.

Jurgen Klopp, however, is unlikely to sanction a move for the former Bayern wizard in January as getting a replacement for the player in the middle of the season would be hard. But, Liverpool could well cash in on the 28-year-old next summer for a good profit having bought him for just £13 million from relegated Stoke City in 2018.

Even though Shaqiri is not a regular at Liverpool, he still is highly valued by Klopp and can really change games on his own with his exceptional creativity. The Swiss international was one of the reasons behind Liverpool's amazing comeback over Barcelona in the second leg of Champions League semi final at Anfield last year.

Apart from that stunning performance, Shaqiri did make his presence felt whenever he was on the pitch last season and Liverpool will need that kind of impact if they want to continu their domination in England and in Europe.

As far as replacements go, Liverpool have been strongly linked with a move for Borussia Dortmund and English sensation Jadon Sancho who is also a right winger by trade. A long term prospect and one of the hottest properties in world football, Sancho could be an able replacement of Shaqiri.

However, the move could fail to materialize due to the fact that Sancho would want first-team chances and would easily get more opportunities if he chooses to move to other clubs like Manchester United or Chelsea. Despite all his potential, Sancho will also have a hard time to get his chances with Salah and Mane on the wings at Anfield.

Even if Liverpool fail to land Sancho, they should not find a problem in replacing Shaqiri as they already have a player on their books who is well capable of offering a lot to the club and deserves an opportunity.

Harry Wilson has been making a strong case for himself for years now and he has been impressive for Bournemouth on loan this season in the Premier League.

The Welshman is 22 now and will be 23 when he returns to his boyhood club from his loan spell next summer. It is high time that Liverpool makes a decision on him. They simply cannot loan him out for another season. And, it would be really unfair from the club to not even give their academy graduate a chance to prove his worth in a Red shirt which he is yet to sport at senior level.

Wilson has an eye for goal and is well capable of playing on either flank. He is also deadly from direct free kicks and has already showed that on a number of occasions. He could be a valuable member of the Liverpool squad next season and could be a readymade replacement to fill Shaqiri's boots.