Liverpool are set to cut short Lazar Markovic’s loan spell at Turkish club Fenerbahce following the spate of injuries to some of their key players, according to reports in the Liverpool Echo.
Both Joe Gomez and Danny Ings suffered season-ending injuries last week, which was new manager Jurgen Klopp’s first at the club, and the recent developments could see Markovic being recalled as early as in January.
Markovic, who was signed from Portuguese outfit Benfica for £20m last summer, failed to cement his place in the Reds first team last season, and only started 23 times under Brendan Rodgers, scoring three goals.
The Serbian winger, 21, was mostly played out of position at wing-back last term as Liverpool failed to replicate their successful 2013/14 season, leading to Markovic being farmed out to Fenerbahce before the end of the summer transfer window.
With Rodgers no longer the Liverpool manager and Klopp facing an injury crisis, Markovic could become the first player to join the Reds in January. Klopp is known to favour a winger-based setup, as seen from his Borussia Dortmund days as Polish right winger Jacub Blaszczykowski flourished in BVB’s Bundesliga-winning sides.
Apart from Ings and Gomez, Liverpool’s other injury absentees include big-money summer arrivals Christian Benteke and Roberto Firmino, although both are expected to be back in the fold in the coming days. Daniel Sturridge, who missed large parts of the 2014/15 season as well as the start of the current campaign, also had an injury scare ahead of the Reds’ trip to Tottenham last weekend.
Rubin Kazan are the visitors to Anfield tomorrow night in the Europa League in what will be Klopp’s first European game as the Liverpool manager. With a wafer-thin squad to choose from, Klopp would have liked Markovic to be part of his current group, as the Reds look to notch their first win in Europe this season.
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