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The agent of Bobby Adekanye has admitted to ‘tensions’ with Liverpool before his client’s move to Lazio in the summer.

Adekanye joined Liverpool from Barcelona on a free transfer back in 2015, aged just 16, and worked his way up the club’s youth ranks.

He went on to make 19 appearances for the Under 18 side, 12 for the UEFA Under 19 side and 23 for the Under 23’s during his time at Anfield.

A chance at first-team football was never forthcoming, though, leading him to depart Liverpool this summer in favour of Lazio, with the Reds later being awarded £540,000 in compensation.

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He is yet to establish himself at Lazio properly but has already featured for the first-team, making three appearances in the Europa League and Serie A so far.

That’s better than what was on offer at Liverpool, and now his agent has hit out at the Reds and their treatment of the 20-year-old.

“I say that Klopp would have brought him to the first team, Liverpool have done everything to block him, and now they are still insisting on returning him,” Junior Minguella told La Lazio Siamo Noi.

“It is true that in Liverpool he did not play even a minute among the professionals, but this depended on the contractual situation that was there, and I do not deny there have been tensions with that club.

“In England, there is a different mentality than the Mediterranean one, and we were told that if he hadn’t renewed, he would never have played in the first team.

“But Bobby trained with the first, so much so that he had a good relationship with Lucas Leiva since the time of Melwood.”