Should Liverpool recall Lazar Markovic? – Image via merseyreds.com
The Serbian starlet signed for Liverpool from Benfica in the summer of 2014, but he struggled to hold down a regular place in Brendan Rodger’s side.
With the change of tide at Anfield, could Lazar Markovic keep any hope of his Liverpool return?
Having a hefty £20 million price tag on his back, the young winger had to prove his way through from the very moment he arrived to England.
Shy, modest and overwhelmingly humble, Lazar Markovic just couldn’t handle the Premier League pressure and his Liverpool performances have been generally coloured with the lack of courage, lack of confidence and lack of his distinguishable flair which put him under the spotlight during his time in Partizan and Benfica respectively.
With a couple of nice touches, agile movement, but conservative possession and poor finishing, Lazar Markovic had to do much more in order to convince, at the time more than eager and anticipating, Liverpool fans and technical staff alike.
Brendan Rodgers had little patience with the Serbian starlet who just could not get his pace against the huge competition for the place in the team and was often played out of position which had just made the things worse for the 21-year-old.
Not enough time
What is more, this was one of the main reasons why he was left disappointed after his departure to Fenerbahce.
“I was not able to prove myself at Liverpool as I was played out of position but thank goodness that is not the case at Fenerbahce,” Markovic was quoted by the Portuguese media.
The Serbian international also blames Liverpool’s former manager for his failure at Anfield claiming he didn’t have good relationship with Brendan Rodgers.
During his time at Liverpool, Lazar Markovic played the total of 19 league matches, scoring only two goals in the process. The fans were unhappy with his nervous displays, but they did manage to catch a couple of promising glimpses of his huge and undisputed talent. In total, Markovic made 34 appearances across competitions with the total tally of three goals.
With a difficult season on their hands and the chronic lack of results, Liverpool just could not afford to wait for him to bloom.
Loan
Ultimately, Markovic was this summer loaned out to Fenerbahce where he was welcomed a hero, and was joined by several familiar faces such as former Liverpool midfielder Raul Meireles, and ex-Manchester United duo Nani and Robin van Persie.
The Serbian youngster was given much needed backing from the management, was made to play in his right position and he is really enjoying his current spell with the Turkish side.
However, with the change of tides in Liverpool and Rodgers gone, Markovic is once again looking towards Anfield, eager to see if he fits in Jurgen Klopp’s plans. And, judging by the claims from German manager, he does.
The new Reds boss has admitted earlier that he was surprised to see so many loaned players and announced he might be implementing an approach similar to one he had in Germany, with the main focus on the development on young players in the academy.
Is Klopp to bring Markovic back to Anfield?
Liverpool boss spoke of Markovic as well, along with another high-profile player on loan – Mario Balotelli – and Klopp was honest to confess he didn’t know the rules and whether he would be able to recall any of his players in January.
Reds manager is willing to explore the possibilities, but will be disappointed to find out that Markovic is reportedly not among the players who have the recalling clause in their loan contracts. Fenerbahce made sure to hold on to the Serb for the rest of the season, as it was reported by English media.
The Turkish team are paying all of Markovic’s wages, but there is no option to buy the player at the end of the season, so Fenerbahce will be keen on holding to the 21-year-old as long as possible.
Markovic’s representatives are still hoping that he could be recalled during winter, eager for their protégée to board on the Klopp bandwagon and grab the momentum which was initialized with the arrival of the charismatic tactician.
The positive atmosphere that was built in Melwood by Jurgen Klopp could prove to be key to Markovic’s further development as the emotional youngster is the kind of a player who is very much dependent on approval and emotional backing.
He needs someone to hold his hand just for a few steps, once he gets running he is hard to get stopped. Investing just a little time in the lad can repay the £20 million price tag in a short time, no doubt about that.
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