On a day when many Liverpool youngsters proved themselves in the heat of a Merseyside derby, Pedro Chirivella sent a timely reminder of his own abilities as he still seeks to make his big Anfield breakthrough.
At 22 years of age, the rarely seen Spaniard found himself one of the senior players in a team bursting with young academy products, and he rose to the occasion with a controlled passing display.
Despite proving to be one of the weekend’s stand-out performers, Chirivella’s long term future at the club remains open to speculation, with the Valencia-born midfielder proving a hot topic of conversation on the latest edition of the Blood Red podcast.
Speaking about his stand-out derby performance, host Sean Bradbury found much to admire in Chirivella’s rare first team outing.
“Next to Adam Lallana in midfield he was fantastic,” said Bradbury.
“It’s a strange one with him because he’s 22 and we’ve seen bits and pieces of him a few years ago.
“You wonder what the future holds, because there’s clearly talent there.
“I don’t know if he’s quite got the graft and the guile to be one of Liverpool’s midfield three at first-team level - but he’s a decent player.”
Speaking in response to Chirivella’s first-team credentials, panellist Matt Addison also struggled to see a clear route into Reds’ midfield for the former Willem II loanee, despite recent talk of him extending his stay at Anfield.
“There’s been some mention today that he may get a new contract and stay a bit longer,” said Addison.
“How much truth there is in that I’m not sure. If I was him, I’d be looking at a move to Spain or something similar because that would probably suit him more than being in a Klopp midfield.
“He’s not as physical as Klopp’s other options in midfield, and realistically, how many opportunities is he going to get?
“The age that he is, maybe it’s best for him to move on and go somewhere else.”
Chirivella had previously been linked with a move to Norwegian side Rosenborg but Addison felt that the holding midfielder has the ability to ply his trade at a higher level than the Eliteserien.
“He’s turned down a move to Norway in the past and I think he’s probably a level above that,” he said.
“But whether his long-term future is at Liverpool, I’m not too sure.”
