As Jadon Sancho gets closer to a £ 70m move to Manchester United, Liverpool fans know they need to remove his name from their transfer wish list.
While Rafa Benitez may have bridged the Merseyside divide recently by taking office at Everton, the chances of the England international playing for the Reds one day are slim.
The winger has been linked to a move to Anfield on several occasions over the past few seasons, but Liverpool have never made a move and reports of their interest seem to only depend on a possible departure from Mohamed Salah or Sadio Mane.
Since the African duo of the Reds will stay on the field again, Jürgen Klopp will be more than satisfied with the options that are already available.
But now, having watched Sancho’s progress at former club Borussia Dortmund, he will continue to watch him and beware of his threat as a rival at Old Trafford.
As one of the star men in the Bundesliga, fans got a glimpse of the winger’s talents without even being able to watch him consistently, but there was still a call after his start for England at Euro 2020.
Instead, he was limited to a substitute appearance ahead of the Three Lions’ quarter-final against Ukraine as the cloud of transfer speculation hung over his head.
But with his move to United, Sancho got his first tournament start in Rome and showed exactly what he is about.
So dangerous on the ball when dribbling, Ukraine could not get rid of him, as he quickly secured his claim to the semifinals against Denmark.
Manchester United fans will lick their lips as the 21-year-old competes alongside Marcus Rashford, Bruno Fernandes, Edinson Cavani and Anthony Martial at Old Trafford.
At the moment, Liverpool supporters can only trust their manager Klopp has enough up his sleeve to keep Sanchos United off their rails.
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Erroneous on the side of caution
If you win the quarter-finals of a major tournament 4-0, you can make the most of your substitutions and switch sides early.
And that’s exactly what Gareth Southgate did for England against Ukraine on Saturday.
With Declan Rice and Kalvin Phillips both wearing yellow cards and facing a game ban, the Three Lions boss insisted that such status would be out of the question for his starting XI.
In fact, this was not the case as the West Ham and Leeds United pair kept their seats despite Jordan Henderson on their backs, but when England took a 3-0 lead it was time for a change in the engine room.
The Liverpool captain came on for Rice just an hour ago and scored his first international goal within five minutes, with Jude Bellingham coming on in place of Phillips shortly afterwards.
The yellow cards will be cleared after the quarter-finals to ensure that Rice and Phillips do not run the risk of missing the final with a Paul Gascogine ban if they receive another booking.
Therefore, Henderson could continue to serve as a substitute for the remainder of the tournament.
But while Southgate won’t have to be careful with his players in the semi-final against Denmark, the Reds captain will still give him a lot to think about after another impressive performance from the bench.
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No place like Rome
The Stadio Olimpico is a famous stadium that has a permanent place in the heart of Liverpool.
The Reds won two European Cups in 1977 and 1984 at the historic Italian stadium and achieved two memorable continental results in their modern history in Rome on their way to triple in 2001 and on their way to their first Champions League final in Rome in 2018 under Jürgen Klopp .
From the infamous goals by Tommy Smith and Michael Owen to Bruce Grobbelaar’s spaghetti legs, Liverpool actually lost their last visit to the Eternal City, but that didn’t matter as they booked their spot in the final in Kiev.
Sadio Mane and Gini Wijnaldum were on the Reds’ top scorer list that evening in May 2018 when Klopp’s side, led by Jordan Henderson, lost 4-2 but advanced 7-6 overall to arrange a final meeting with Real Madrid.
In retrospect, this was an important step for Liverpool as they returned to the top flight in Europe and believed they would soon be able to compete with the glory of the Champions League and Premier League.
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Now, three years later, the Stadio Olimpico has such a special place in the heart of England.
After a commanding 4-0 win over Ukraine in the Euro 2020 quarter-finals, the Three Lions return to Wembley for their third semi-final in three years mid-week.
When you consider that they have only played three semi-finals in the past 52 years, it shows the progress Gareth Southgate’s side have made.
As the Elder Statesmen on this English team, Henderson finished the game with his first international goal and the armband on his arm, knowing all too well what prizes might be waiting for her in the next week.
A World Cup semi-final defeat against Croatia in 2018 was the first step for this team.
Now, three years later, the Stadio Olimpico seems once again to play a crucial role in the promotion of an English team.
