Flanagan – who made his comeback for Liverpool in January from a 20-month absence with a knee injury – is out of contract in the summer, and captain Jordan Henderson has urged the club to end any uncertainty over his future.
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After losing out in the Capital One Cup final to Manchester City only three days before the Premier League tie, Liverpool got their revenge with a comprehensive win that moves them within six points of the top four.
Flanagan was amongst a number of those who didn’t feature in the cup final and Henderson admitted that there were “a lot of players who came in who didn’t play at the weekend” who will have been “disappointed that they didn’t play” – but he praised their attitudes as he added: “They’ve channelled that in the right way”.
The tackle drew a strong reaction from the home supporters, as well as Flanagan’s delighted teammates.
That was the right-back’s first start since he sustained his ligament injury in May 2014, and manager Klopp told a news conference on Tuesday that the player was still being eased back to full fitness.
‘I think we put a statement out.
Liverpool next face Crystal Palace at the weekend before our Europa League double-header with Manchester United, huge fixtures Flanagan will relish. Emre Can’s second game in that role was really good, Hendo’s reaction was great and Milly should always play against Manchester City! We try to do this.
‘We have to sit together tomorrow and think about what we can do with Flanno. He really had to be patient on this long road back.
“It was something I had to do to get the crowd up”, the 23-year-old said about that first challenge which knocked Sterling off his feet.
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While, as Klopp said, Flanagan shouldn’t be called on to play every game, the fact that he is available as a viable option in our back line will be a great help to the team moving forward this season.
