LONDON: Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp wants to claim the right to prevent star players from flying abroad for matches during the international break if they have to quarantine when they return.

In the UK at present, anyone returning from coronavirus ‘red list’ countries is required to quarantine for 10 days. World federation FIFA has said that clubs can deny players release if they need to quarantine for five days or more on their return.

Klopp said: “I understand the need of the different FAs but it is a time where you cannot make everybody happy.

Klopp added: “The players are paid by the clubs so that means we have to be the first priority. You cannot make everyone happy in this period of our lives. We are not 100pc sure because it’s not clear, as some countries might change the venues where they play.

“You always have to wait until the last second pretty much because people need time to make decisions. I think everybody agrees that we cannot let the players go and come back and quarantine for 10 days in a hotel – that’s not how we can do it.”

Portugal, all of South America and parts of southern Africa are on the UK’s ‘red list’ of countries.

For Liverpool, that would impact players such as Brazil’s Alisson, Fabinho and Roberto Firmino, as well as Portuguese forward Diogo Jota.

Klopp added: “All the things that happened from a virus point of view in the last few months was when someone had to leave the bubble.

“In England, it is all going in the right direction and looks positive and promising. Yes, we are concerned about these kind of things.”

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