No winners in the Bobby Duncan battle as Liverpool dream turns into nightmare

Liverpool have denied accusations of 'mentally bullying' Duncan
Liverpool FC via Getty Images
David Lynch29 August 2019

Although it took until Wednesday afternoon to rear its head, the row over Bobby Duncan’s future had felt inevitable for weeks.

Despite Liverpool having made clear their reluctance to let the young striker leave on loan this summer, news of failed bids from a number of clubs across Europe had continued to emerge in the press.

And yesterday, the source of those links became a little clearer as frustration from the player’s representative spilled over onto social media.

In a statement posted on Twitter, Saif Rubie sensationally claimed that Liverpool were “destroying the life” of his client by setting unreasonable demands around his potential departure.

He also accused sporting director Michael Edwards of disregarding Duncan’s mental wellbeing and vowed that the player would not return to the club despite the threat of fines.

Getty Images

Rubie’s comments were poorly received by Reds legend Jamie Carragher, whose criticisms sparked an unedifying online spat between the pair.

And a further backlash from other Twitter users saw a number of homophobic and sexist tweets previously sent by Rubie shared, as well as a post from days earlier in which the under-fire agent had, incredibly, asked for an explanation of obligation to buy deals.

That inevitably led to a deletion of the account on Thursday - a move widely celebrated on social media, particularly among Liverpool supporters.

But, even accounting for the removal of such distasteful online postings, the truth remains that there are no winners here.

At the heart of this situation is a poorly advised 18-year-old whose long-delayed move to his dream club is fast turning into a nightmare.

While many elements of Rubie’s statement deserve little credence - namely repeated references to Duncan’s “small salary” - suggestions that his client’s mental health has suffered should not be dismissed so easily.

Liverpool FC via Getty Images

Yet it is hard to imagine that yesterday’s storm has done anything but damage in that regard, and that sort of consideration is the responsibility of any good agent.

Rubie’s statement represents his latest piece of bad advice following aggressive attempts to engineer his client a move away from Anfield just 12 months on from his arrival.

As a supremely talented footballer and likeable character to boot, Duncan could not be more highly thought of at both the academy and Melwood.

Liverpool FC via Getty Images

The striker’s standing was made clear enough by his involvement with Jurgen Klopp’s first-team squad during a pre-season period that brought his first senior goal.

And yet now he is stuck having vowed to leave his boyhood club by any means but without an obvious path to doing so laid out.

It is a situation the teenager should have been protected from by strong guidance, but he has been badly failed in this instance.

Liverpool remain keen to work toward a resolution that suits all parties, but Duncan can only hope now that his long-term career prospects have not been harmed by an ill-judged outburst from his representative.

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