All the tantrum and mayhem seem to have cooled down since the past couple of days, but the damage is already done by Saif Rubie who lambasted Liverpool and the club’s sporting director Michael Edwards over their decision to keep hold of his client Bobby Duncan forcefully. Rubie further accused them of ‘mentally bullying and destroying the life’ of the teenager which, however, was denounced and condemned by the club officially (as quoted by talkSport) a while after the outrage.
“Liverpool Football Club is aware of and disappointed by the unattributed comments and unfounded allegations that have been made in the media regarding one of our players.
“As the interests of the player in question are not best served by either inaccurate speculation, inflammatory statements or public discourse, we will be making no further comment.
“We will, however, continue our efforts to work privately with the player to find resolution in the best interests of all involved.”
The 18-year-old Whiston-born centre-forward was quick to like and retweet his agent’s statement but removed it moments later. Stupid right, but expected from a teenager.
The situation, however, was not at all the same even a few months back. The lifelong Liverpool fan forced his move to the boyhood club last summer from the esteemed Manchester City academy and went on to score 32 times and provided 23 assists in all competitions while representing the U18s.
His uprise was not unnoticed, and Jurgen Klopp deployed Duncan extensively in the Reds’ pre-season outings. Yet there’s still a lot to develop in his game, and therefore, he was asked to feature for the U23s this season to grow furthermore before knocking the first-team door in the forthcoming future.
But the youngster seems to be in a hurry to attain senior minutes or has been advised wrongly by his entourage who are seeking cheap attention and publicity unnecessarily. The Reds blocked an initial loan deal to Fiorentina that had an option to buy for a minuscule £1.6m fee.
However, according to the Mirror, Borussia Dortmund have now entered the scene and keeping close tabs on how it shapes up before Monday’s European deadline. The German giants hit the jackpot by roping in Jadon Sancho from Manchester City a couple of summers back and are now plotting yet another master move before the window is slammed shut.
Liverpool do have a case though. Duncan is hailed as the next big thing of English football and the Reds, therefore, would prefer to make maximum profit even if they decide to listen to offers for their prized asset. The reported £1.6m figure is too low in today’s market for a player of Duncan’s calibre. Also, from the player’s perspective, he still has time to clean up the mess and get back to work with more determination and hunger to stake a claim in Klopp’s immediate plans.
Examples are plenty on how it went wrong for a host of youngsters who forced a move away from the club. Jerome Sinclair and Sergi Canos are still struggling to find their feet as nobody remembers where they are or how they have fared since leaving Merseyside. On the other hand, the likes of Suso and Conor Coady are still adored by the supporters who stayed true to their game, maintained professionalism despite lack of minutes at the highest level. They are now ‘somebody’ elsewhere, and it’s up to Duncan now regarding how he wishes to end up after causing such pandemonium.
Pratyay Maitra
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