Solanke needs to leave Liverpool for the good of his career, says Ferdinand

Posted Wednesday, September 19, 2018 by squawka.com

Former England international Rio Ferdinand has urged Liverpool outcast Dominic Solanke to leave the club if he is to fulfil his potential.

Solanke, 21, only joined the Reds last summer from Chelsea having found playing time hard to come by in west London, but he has been faced with a similar problem on Merseyside, currently sitting on the periphery of first-team action under Jurgen Klopp.

The England international has been unable to supplant the attacking triumvirate of Liverpool's insatiable attack, and Ferdinand believes Solanke should consider a career away from Anfield if he is to develop accordingly.

"Obviously the players are not good enough (for these teams)," he told BT Sport (via the Express).

"The young kids like (Phil) Foden, (Ruben) Loftus-Cheek and Solanke who are winning tournaments for England at youth level, if they're good enough they'll be playing.

"It's such a lucrative game for these (club) managers and their jobs are on the edge every single game, and they want players who are going to win instantly.

"These players obviously aren't being blooded properly. Players are sitting on the bench now who are £50m players.

"The pathway for these young players to the first team is so difficult because of the investment that's going on. Solanke is sitting (on the bench) at Liverpool, he was sitting at Chelsea.

"He has gone to Liverpool for opportunities and he's not getting that. He has got to get out. If I'm a young sitting on the bench, or in the stands or not even travelling, I'm banging down the manager's door and asking if I'm playing or not."

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho recently highlighted Solanke's lack of playing time at Liverpool when safeguarding his own use of Marcus Rashford.

The Portuguese tactician has come under heavy criticism for supposedly stunting the growth of Rashford who has only started once this season, with Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher suggesting he is in danger of becoming the next Danny Welbeck.

However, Mourinho was quick to remind people of Rashford's playing time under his guidance, suggesting he is not in the same bracket as Solanke.

"Marcus is not Dominic Solanke, not Ruben Loftus-Cheek, not Dominic Calvert-Lewin, he's Marcus Rashford, a Manchester United player, with an incredible number of appearances and an incredible number of minutes played at the highest level in the best possible competitions," he told reporters, according to the Guardian.

"So Manchester United supporters, for you and just for you, to know what we are doing with Marcus, Luke Shaw, Jesse Lingard, Scott McTominay, that's what we are doing here."

Liverpool kick off their Champions League campaign when they take on Paris Saint-Germain at Anfield on Tuesday night.