An abrupt back and forth commenced between two very unlikely candidates in Jurgen Klopp and Gabby Agbonlahor, after the former called out the latter for his recent comments on Manchester United.
Erik ten Hag’s side have gotten off to an abysmal start and currently sits at the bottom of the table after conceding 4 at Brentford. The situation has led to widespread criticism, and the former Villa man was one of the many critics, as he offered up his assessment during a segment on TalkSPORT.
The ex-footballer branded United as ‘amateurs’ and singled out the likes of Christian Eriksen, David De Gea, Lisandro Martinez etc for ‘not being good enough’. His comments ended up rubbing Liverpool gaffer Jurgen Klopp the wrong way, who addressed them during a recent presser.
The German recounted how Agbonlahor was on the losing side of a 6-0 result during his first year at Anfield. Klopp highlighted that the striker lacked the very mentality he’s currently berating United players for not having, and even went on to say that he almost ‘called in’ to remind Agbonlahor himself.
The Liverpool boss clearly didn’t hold back, and it seemed as if his brutal response had essentially buried the matter.
However, another twist was on the cards, as Agbonlahor chose to offer a rebuttal.
He took to his Instagram and posted a picture, displaying him celebrating a goal in Anfield during a game dating back to 2014.
It came alongside a caption which read ‘Flashback Friday – mentality to score the winner at Anfield.’ The caption certainly confirms that this was aimed as a direct response to Klopp’s comments.
Unfortunately, Gabby failed to account for one key detail.
Grabbing a winning goal at Liverpool certainly paints his mentality in a better light, however, the game came before Klopp’s appointment as manager.
The German took charge of the Reds in the following season, and as he stated, Agbonlahor was on the opposite end of an embarrassing defeat during their first encounter.
Naturally, fans weren’t feeling Gabby’s response, with some questioning whether he remembered that the match occurred before Klopp’s time.
And if he was indeed aware, what was he trying to accomplish?
It doesn’t take a genius to realize that the rebuttal has no weight as Klopp wasn’t even present at the time, yet the former England international went with it.
Safe to say, his retort fell flat, and unless he has something up his sleeve, this little tiff seems done and dusted.