LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, September 16, 2017: Liverpool's Emre Can during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool and Burnley at Anfield. (Pic by Peter Powell/Propaganda)

SUPPORTING Liverpool Football Club at this moment and time is a little bit depressing, there’s no denying it, writes LACHLAN BALLINGALL.

The results have been awful, especially the one that just went against Tottenham Hotspur on the weekend. The players that took to the pitch looked disinterested and seemed to be caught in the moment.

There were no positives to take from the match, and with that being the case, you wouldn’t be foolish for expecting to see a changed side for Huddersfield Town’s visit to Anfield this weekend.

With The Reds in less than flattering form and the season sitting on a cliff edge, a situation the club could do without is that of Emre Can. You’d have to be living under a rock to be unaware of the fact that Liverpool’s midfielder is in the final season of his contract, so many people want to know one thing: will he sign on to stay at Anfield?

As every day goes by, the more supporters should worry about the prospect of losing the German international. It may be a little bit too early to predict, but there doesn’t seem to be much movement to suggest that he will still be a Liverpool player next season.

Would that be the end of the world? Hardly, but there’s no denying it would be a blow. There can’t be many who look at Can and sees a world beater of a footballer, but there is certainly enough talent on display to believe that he has the potential.

LONDON, ENGLAND - Sunday, October 22, 2017: Emre Can (L) Kieran Trippier (TH) during the FA Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool at Wembley Stadium. (Pic by Paul Marriott/Propaganda)

When the club brought him to Anfield from Bayer Leverkusen in 2014 for a fee of £9.75million, many believed we had signed a player of real potential for the future. He was 20 years of age when he made the move, and as the years have gone by, we have seen good improvement in Liverpool’s number 23.

He’s a player that is perfectly suited to the Premier League with his build and power. He has shown he has the ability to play in both attacking and defensive areas of the midfield. He’s found the back of the net on 10 occasions in all competitions for Liverpool and has provided nine assists as well. He is certainly a very handy footballer.

Now, Liverpool bringing him in at such a young age meant we weren’t going to see his best football for a number of years. He’s only 23 at this moment, so that football is still yet to come.

While it wouldn’t be the end of the world if Can decided he wanted to leave, losing him on a free when the club has put a number of games into him would be a massive blow. The whole point of signing him was to develop and improve him so we would get his best years. Imagine all that time and effort going down the drain if Liverpool lose him for a free?

There’s no denying he has room for improvement in areas of his game, particularly his concentration and management of certain situations in games, but many forget how young he still is. The fact that Juventus seem keen on his services says enough.

Also, if Can does decide that he wants to leave, what does that say about the club at the moment? Are Liverpool as attractive an option as supporters hoped they would be under Jürgen Klopp? Maybe they are, but if certain key players are wanting out it is worrying.

ROTTACH-EGERN, GERMANY - Friday, July 28, 2017: Liverpool's Emre Can and manager Jürgen Klopp during a training session at FC Rottach-Egern on day three of the preseason training camp in Germany. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

Philippe Coutinho is a prime example of this when he made his intentions clear as Barcelona came calling in the summer — a player that Klopp had promised to build his side around. A lot of it may stem from the fact that Liverpool haven’t won one of them shiny things since 2012. Players want medals to look back at when they retire, and The Reds aren’t providing that at this moment.

Hopefully that changes in the not so distant future under Klopp, but at this moment Liverpool can’t guarantee it like some clubs can.

Liverpool need a definitive answer from Can on where he sees his future. If he’s planning on moving on then the club would be better served starting the lads who actually want to be there. Unlike Coutinho, Can isn’t the sort of match winner who should be on the pitch at all costs so it shouldn’t be seen as such a controversial move.

The calls for Klopp to be ruthless have been thrown around this week, and that needs to be reiterated when it comes to the future of Can. Now more than ever, Liverpool need players on the pitch who want to fight for the shirt and play an active part in Klopp’s project.

If he moves on, good luck to him. It may look like a blow now, but The Reds have lost better players in the past and bounced back.

@L_Ballingall

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