Liverpool defender slams Roy Hodgson
Young Liverpool defender Chris Mavinga has slammed his manager Roy Hodgson, saying that he has been given little opportunity to star for the club and he now wants to move away from Anfield.
The 19-year-old France youth international claimed that Hodgson was not giving the youngsters at the club a chance to shine in the first team and that he prefers to use English players. Mavinga had been training with the first-team under Rafael Benitez last season, but Hodgson has moved him down to the reserves.
Mavinga told France Football that: “I am disappointed. I thought that with the success I had with France and what I produced on the training ground I would have the opportunity to train with the first team and play bits of games. But a new coach arrived. Roy Hodgson, who replaced Rafael Benitez, is changing the organisation of the club and is trying to encourage English players ahead of foreign ones.”
'Hope to find another club'
As a result of the new regime, Mavinga — who is primarily a left-back but can also play in the middle of defence — believes his career is suffering and is looking to quit Anfield. He revealed he had tried to talk to Hodgson about the situation but he was knocked back. He said that: “Yes, I spoke with him briefly, but he did not say much. The problem is that there are too many players training with the first-team squad . . . So, I have now returned to the reserves. I’m not asking to get straight into the first team. I just want a fair opportunity to train with them. I hope to find another club.”
Mavinga was signed by previous boss Benitez last summer from PSG in what was seen as something of a coup. He shone as France won the 2010 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship this summer.
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