Why this could be the last season of Adam Lallana at Liverpool

Kolkata, August 29: Liverpool have improved by leaps and bounds over the last few years especially since Jurgen Klopp took over at Anfield.

Now, the Reds have no shortage of world class players at their disposal. Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino, Virgil van Dijk, Alisson Becker, Andrew Robertson, Trent Alexander-Arnold etc are all considered among the best players in the world in their respective positions.

It is not a surprise to see Klopp loving his star players from the bottom of his heart but alongside them, another player who is hugely admired by Klopp despite doing almost nothing in recent years is Adam Lallana.

The 31-year-old, formerly the skipper of Southampton, signed for Liverpool on a big fee when they were managed by Brendan Rodgers and after Klopp took over at the club, Lallana became the manager's favourite. Well, in terms of technical abilities, there have been very few British players better than Lallana. He is two-footed, extremely skillful, versatile enough to play in a range of positions, a great professional and on top of that, a natural leader. What's not to love about him?

During Klopp's earlier days at the club, Lallana used to be a vital cog in his system, the man who never gave up and never stopped pressing his opponents. Klopp is a huge fan of work rate no matter in whichever role you play and Lallana seemed like the perfect player for the German gaffer until his injury issues became a routine. Lallana has hardly played for Klopp in the past couple of seasons but to everyone's surprise, Klopp still rates him highly and he was not placed on the transfer list this summer.

However, it could very well be the last season of the Englishman at Anfield. He is already 31 years of age and his contract ends next summer. Liverpool have a long list of options in the middle of the park right now and unless Lallana does something extra-ordinary this season, he is unlikely to get a new deal. And his wages could be used in other areas to make room for new signings.

With Harry Wilson knocking at the door for first-team action and impressive on a regular basis on loan, he could prove to be the replacement of the former Southampton star.

Marko Grujic, another Liverpool loanee, has also been impressive during his loan spell and could be retained next season which would make the squad even bigger and Lallana is likely to be sacrificed to even up the equation. Lallana is well past his prime and fitness and it was only the large heart of Klopp why he still remains a Liverpool player.