Klopp: Struggling Liverpool stars should seek inspiration from Rashford

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp says his off-form stars should take inspiration from Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford as he warned "self-pity" is not an option for the club’s toils.

Klopp’s injury problems have increased with centre-back Ibrahima Konate the latest to be ruled out with a hamstring issue, joining a long treatment list. Key players Fabinho and Jordan Henderson have also been struggling for their best form as Liverpool struggle in mid-table, 10 points off the top four.

But Klopp says his players need look no further than Rashford’s transformation over the course of this season to see how quickly circumstances can change.  Rashford was named Premier League Player of the Month for January on Friday, and has scored 18 goals this season with United fighting for silverware on four fronts.

"One of the best examples ever probably will be Marcus Rashford,” said Klopp. “The season he had last year and the season he had this year? I'm not sure he can really explain it. Erik ten Hag coming in, new boys, a different approach, of course that (makes a difference) but it's not as though Marcus didn't want to deliver last year. Now he is flying. That's how it goes.

"It's not a massive difference to lesser good players when they have a dip in their development, that's difficult as well, it's just something you have to deal with. We can all see that some players didn't exactly reach the level they reached for us consistently over four or five or six years. That's not unusual. It happens to other players as well.

"The times in between these two extremes we have to use and go through it and fight through it. Self-pity is not allowed in these moments. We are human beings and know these moments when you think 'oh my God, everything is going against me'. There's only one person who can change that really and it's yourself. These kinds of things can happen and will happen in the future as well, but it's about limiting the time to get back on track.”

Klopp will be comforted by striker Diogo Jota’s anticipated return to training next week, while Virgil van Dijk and Roberto Firmino are edging closer to resuming training. But Liverpool’s chances of challenging the top four are rapidly fading, and there has been a distinct difference between their approach to reviving their campaign and Chelsea’s £300 million spending spree.

Klopp joked he would need legal advice before commenting on how Chelsea could invest so much in the last two transfer windows, without falling foul of Financial Fair Play. "I say nothing without my lawyer," Klopp said. "I don't understand that part of the business, what you can do and what you can't do. It's a big number in the last two windows.

“The players they brought in, I didn't think once 'why did they do that?' They are all really good players, so from that point of view, congratulations if you can do it. I don't understand how it's possible, but it's not for me to explain how it works. Hopefully you (the media) all know exactly how it works, and then it's fine."