Ruben Amorim comments could be trouble for one Liverpool star as favourite emerges to replace Jurgen Klopp

Sporting CP boss and potential Liverpool managerial candidate Ruben Amorim has indirectly criticised players such as Diogo Jota.

Amorim, 39, is the current boss of Portuguese side Sporting CP and has been since 2020 after leaving S.C Braga.

The former midfielder has since gone on to shine in the dugout and has been heavily linked with a move to the Premier League whenever a vacancy arrises.

The likes of Aston Villa, Manchester United, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur have all been touted as possible landing destinations - although he is yet to make the move to England.

The latest club to be linked with Amorim as their potential new boss is Liverpool. The Reds are on the hunt for Jurgen Klopp's successor this summer, after the legendary German coach announced he would be leaving Anfield after nine years in charge.

Since the announcement was made in January, former Liverpool midfielder and current Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso had largely been regarded as the frontrunner for the role.

However, he has since ruled himself out of contention to replace Klopp, as he looks to stay at the BayArena for the foreseeable future.

Liverpool will now consider other options for the role ahead of next season, with Amorim one of the names being mentioned.

amorim saying players nowadays don’t focus too much on football statistics because they’d rather play playstation 😭😭😭 diogo jota he already understands you pic.twitter.com/RUd5LSze0v

— jules (@iS2trent) March 29, 2024

As links to Merseyside continue to circulate, fans have been quick to pick up on one particular interview from Amorim - which was regarding what he thinks of modern footballers.

Amorim outlined that he believes some players spend too much time focusing on playing PlayStation, rather than their performances on the pitch.

Which may be inadvertently directed at Liverpool forward Diogo Jota, who is an avid gamer and is open about his love - or obsession - with games such as FIFA and EA FC 24.

Speaking to FourFourTwo, Jota opened up on his love for gaming - which his potential boss might not want to hear! “I have an esports team and sometimes I do better than my own players – not because they’re bad, but because I can actually compete with them," he said.

“That feels really nice – when you can compete with people who only do that for a living.

“I often get involved in competitions with the professional FIFA players, which happen once or twice a month, and I do win some games.”