Expert: Senior Liverpool stars have personally engineered Christopher Rohrbeck deal
Senior Liverpool stars may have personally lobbied for the return of popular physiotherapist Christopher Rohrbeck.
That is the view of injury expert Ben Dinnery, who runs the Premier Injuries site and has a background in medicine and data analysis.
Rohrbeck worked at German side Mainz during Jurgen Klopp’s spell in the dugout between 2001 and 2008.
He was reunited with the manager at Liverpool in 2017 before leaving to re-join Mainz in the summer of 2020.
But The Athletic reported last Monday (16 May) that the 43-year-old has now returned to Anfield with immediate effect.
It is understood that Rohrbeck was well-liked in the Liverpool dressing room and seen as a valuable asset for the Merseysiders’ busy run-in in 2021-22.
And Dinnery suggests that some of the club’s top players may have in fact engineered his return.
“Maybe this coincides with the end of the Bundesliga because he will have more time now,” he told Football Insider’s Adam Williams.
“But Liverpool have managed their players really well this season. There has been a massive reduction in the amount of time lost to injuries.
“There has been a 30 to 40 per cent swing in that regard compared to the numbers in 2020-21.
“So, to fast-track him into the team for what could just be a couple of games seems a little bit strange. I don’t really understand that.
“However, he was a therapist that was highly respected. He has good connections with high-status members of that squad.
“Let’s not sugar coat it, there is a lot of player power in, not just Liverpool, but clubs all over the world. If this guy is liked, you are going to do everything you can to accommodate players who want him there.
“It’s another opinion, another set of eyes, another unique skillset. So, I think ultimately it can only be a good thing.”
Fabinho and Joe Gomez are expected to be fit for the Champions League final against Real Madrid in Paris on Saturday (28 May).
But Divock Origi has been ruled out, while star man Thiago Alcantara is a doubt with an Achilles issue.
In other news, ex-Premier League referee issues “big” Liverpool claim as Trent Alexander-Arnold controversy analysed