Sami Hypia has been left out of Liverpool’s Champions League squad.
And the Finnish International, who’s played nearly 450 games for the Merseyside club since signing in 1999, has admitted that if he knew the club were going to take such action, he might now be playing elsewhere.
New Uefa regaulations state that each competing club must have at least 8 home grown players, from their own academy or another English academy, in their squad of 25. For Liverpool,' those 8 are Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher, Jay Spearing, Stephen Darby, Robbie Keane, Jermaine Pennant, Steven Irwin and Martin Kelly.
The Finn said: “The manager’s decision to leave me out of the squad is a big disappointment.
“I understand it’s partly because of the Uefa regulations, but the news came as a surprise to me and a shock too.
“The club had a ‘perfect’ timing for this,” he added.
“They didn’t want me to move elsewhere, so that’s why I was told the news of having been left out, just after the transfer window had closed.
“The club went public to say there had been offers for me, but turned them down. So perhaps that means I am still part of the plans for this season.”
Liverpool rejected an offer for Hypia from Stoke City during the close season but he may yet get to play in Europe as club’s that reach the knock out stages are allowed to revise their squad’s in the new year.
