Champions League hero will miss Liverpool reunion after ruthless Zlatan Ibrahimovic decision

Liverpool hero Divock Origi will not be reunited with his former team ahead of the Reds' Champions League tie with AC Milan. Arne Slot's side return to the prestigious competition after their campaign in the Europa League last year.

In the Premier League, the Reds fell to their first defeat to Nottingham Forest at Anfield. They will be keen to put the shock 1-0 loss behind them with their first European clash at the San Siro.

The clubs faced each other in the Champions League finals in 2005 and 2007, with Liverpool claiming European glory in the first final. The Italian giants then won the competition two years later.

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While supporters may have been looking forward to being reunited with Belgian striker Origi, he will not face his former team on Tuesday. Former Manchester United striker Zlatan Ibrahimobic, who is now a senior advisor for the Italian side's owners, RedBird Capital, confirmed Origi would feature for their under-23s side instead.

"Origi and [Fode] Ballo-Toure have been called up, but they will play for Milan Futuro. They are not part of the first-team project," Ibrahimovic told CalcioMercato. Origi has had a difficult spell in Milan since leaving Anfield in 2022.

His first season saw him make 36 appearances under Stefano Pioli before joining Forest on loan last season. Despite returning to Milan earlier this summer, he is not part of the plans of new manager Paulo Fonseca and has been banished from the first team.

At Liverpool, supporters have fond memories of him. Origi scored twice in the Reds' improbable comeback in the Champions League semi-finals against Barcelona, including the fourth goal that sent Liverpool through to the final.

Unable to resolve his future during the summer transfer window, the 29-year-old will have the opportunity to do so in the new year once the transfer window reopens. However, the prospect of a return to Anfield seems unlikely.