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Schalke defender Malick Thiaw responds to Liverpool speculation

Liverpool-linked defender Malick Thiaw admits he is flattered by links to the Premier League champions but insists he made the right decision staying at Schalke.

Schalke 04 defender Malick Thiaw has admitted that he is flattered by links to Liverpool but is fully focused on performing in Germany.

Jurgen Klopp is facing a defensive crisis at Anfield with first-choice centre-backs Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez facing lengthy spells on the sidelines, while Joel Matip has been in the wars as well.

The Reds have since been linked with a number of top centre-backs - namely Kalidou Koulibaly and Dayot Upamecano - to solve their problem, while Thiaw is also believed to be on the radar of the Premier League champions.

However, the 19-year-old affirmed that he is committed to Schalke after signing an extension with the Bundesliga side back in July, telling Schalke TV: "Of course you're happy when big clubs are after you, but it was actually clear to me that I would stay at Schalke."

The centre-back - who is eligible to represent Germany, Senegal or Finland at international level - already has one Bundesliga goal to his name this season and is contracted to Schalke until 2024.

As well as losing Van Dijk and Gomez to potentially season-ending injuries, Liverpool have also seen Trent Alexander-Arnold, Andy Robertson, Fabinho, Jordan Henderson and Thiago Alcantara suffer problems of their own, while Mohamed Salah recently tested positive for coronavirus.

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Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp pictured on November 8, 2020
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1Liverpool108111961325
2Manchester CityMan City1072121111023
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest10541147719
4Chelsea105322012818
5Arsenal105321711618
6Aston Villa105321715218
7Tottenham HotspurSpurs1051422111116
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton104421714316
9Fulham104331413115
10Bournemouth104331312115
11Newcastle UnitedNewcastle104331010015
12Brentford104151920-113
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd10334912-312
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham103251319-611
15Leicester CityLeicester102441418-410
16Everton102351017-79
17Crystal Palace10145813-57
18Ipswich TownIpswich100551021-115
19Southampton10118719-124
20Wolverhampton WanderersWolves100371427-133


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