Jurgen Klopp: Liverpool manager wants to ban players from international duty

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp says players cannot be allowed to travel for March’s international break if they have to quarantine when they return.

In the UK at present, anyone returning from coronavirus ‘red list’ countries is required to quarantine for 10 days.

Fifa says clubs can prevent players leaving if they need to quarantine for five days or more on their return.

“I understand the need of the different FAs but it is a time where you cannot make everybody happy,” said Klopp.

Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said it “didn’t make sense to travel”.

Speaking to Sky Sports after United’s goalless draw at Crystal Palace, Solskjaer added: “That’s a chat we’ll have with the players.

“It doesn’t make sense to travel, when we are paying them, if they come back and are away for 10 days.”

Klopp added: “The players are paid by the clubs so that means we have to be the first priority. You cannot make everyone happy in this period of our lives.

“We are not 100% sure because it’s not clear, as some countries might change the venues where they play.

“You always have to wait until the last second pretty much because people need time to make decisions.

“I think everybody agrees that we cannot let the players go and come back and quarantine for 10 days in a hotel – that’s not how we can do it.”

Portugal, all of South America and parts of southern Africa are on the UK’s ‘red list’ of countries.

For Liverpool, that would impact players such as Brazil’s Alisson, Fabinho and Roberto Firmino, as well as Portuguese forward Diogo Jota.

“All the things that happened from a virus point of view in the last few months was when someone had to leave the bubble,” said Klopp.

“In England, it is all going in the right direction and looks positive and promising. Yes, we are concerned about these kind of things.”

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