‘Can afford to’: Paul Merson says Liverpool can get away with dropping £37m player this weekend

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Liverpool head into their game against Wolves on Saturday as favourites, but, as we all know, there’s no such thing as a gimme in the Premier League.

Indeed, this is the best league in the world for a reason, anyone can beat anyone at any given time, and after an international break, it feels as though Liverpool are vulnerable to an upset.

Many of Liverpool’s players will be fatigued after a gruelling period of travel across the globe, and three players who may struggle most are Alexis Mac Allister, Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz.

Indeed, the jet lag that a trip to South America leaves you with is no joke, and these two players may not be at their best if they play on Saturday.

Luckily, according to Paul Merson, writing in his column for Sportskeeda, Liverpool can get away with dropping Luis Diaz as they have plenty of cover on the wings.

Liverpool can drop Diaz

Merson shared his verdict on the Colombian potentially being dropped.

“A Saturday morning game after an international break is always a hard one to call as most players – at least from the so-called top six sides – go away to represent their countries. It acts as a bit of a leveler and is a huge advantage, so Liverpool will have to be wary of that,” Merson wrote.

“It’s particularly hard for South Americans like Alexis Mac Allister and Luis Diaz, but the Reds might be able to get away with rotating a few players. Mac Allister will probably start, but Liverpool can afford to bench Diaz as the likes of Cody Gakpo and Diogo Jota – who both scored for their countries in the international break – are waiting patiently on the wings.”

Luxury

Liverpool do have the luxury of being able to rotate at times like this.

Diaz and co may not be fit enough to start against Wolves after a gruelling travel schedule over the past fortnight, but the presence of the likes of Cody Gakpo and Diogo Jota makes life much easier.

The £37m man may not start against Wolves, but Liverpool shouldn’t suffer too much for it.