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‘Unbelievable’: Gary Neville says Liverpool have a player he doesn’t think ever gets the respect he deserves
Gary Neville has told Monday Night Football (airing on 18/10; 23:00) that Roberto Firmino’s work for Liverpool is incredible, and that the forward does not receive the respect he deserves.
Firmino, of course, scored a spectacular hat-trick over the weekend. The treble came in a 5-0 thrashing of Watford at Vicarage Road.
Mohamed Salah, on the other hand, seemed to steal the show.
In the win, the Egyptian was absolutely sensational. And with that, the victory seemed to sum up Firmino’s time at Anfield perfectly.
There is no doubt that the 30-year-old has been crucial to Jurgen Klopp’s team for many years. However, he does not receive the same amount of praise as Salah or Sadio Mane.
Nonetheless, when asked to select a combined Liverpool and Manchester United XI for this weekend’s game, Neville insisted that he couldn’t leave Firmino out, with the Brazil international taking the attacking midfield spot.
“I refuse to disrespect Firmino,” he told Monday Night Football. “The work in possession and out of possession that he does on behalf of the team is unbelievable.
“But I don’t believe that he ever really gets the full respect that he deserves for his performances and how he dovetails with midfield, how he dovetails with the two wide players, how he fills back in in big games.”
Salah and Mane are more likely to be named to Liverpool fans’ all-time teams. The former, in particular, will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the club’s greatest forwards of all time.
But it is safe to say that without Firmino, neither Salah nor Mane would have such incredible records.
And the Brazilian himself has a ludicrous track record. In 299 games for the Reds in all competitions, he has 93 goals and 70 assists.
As a result, it is reasonable to argue that there are few players in the world who could have provided what Firmino has provided during his time on Merseyside.
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‘Unbelievable’: Gary Neville says Liverpool have a player he doesn’t think ever gets the respect he deserves
