Dominik Szoboszlai has revealed he 'argued' with the Liverpool's medical team after being ruled out of the Carabao Cup final.
The Hungarian was ultimately left out of the matchday squad to face Chelsea at Wembley on Sunday, having been a serious doubt for the showpiece game all week.
Szoboszlai suffered a recurrence of the hamstring injury he sustained at the start of the year and has not featured since the Premier League win over Chelsea last month.
Both Jurgen Klopp and assistant manager Pep Lijnders had suggested there was still a slight chance the No. 8 could be fit again in time to feature on Sunday, with the squad stricken with injury issues.
However, neither Szoboszlai nor Mohamed Salah nor Darwin Nunez — the other two major doubts — were included in Klopp's squad, with the decision taken not to risk any of the three.
The 23-year-old midfielder was among the absent players who travelled to London and was seen walking unaided prior to kick off.
Speaking to Hungarian outlet Match4, via Index, Szoboszlai revealed he wanted to play but told the 'risks' were too great.
“I would play, I told them, my plan is to return as soon as possible pain-free, but taking the risks involved,” he is quoted as saying.
“I would take the slightly bigger risk to play in the final…but [the medical staff] were more careful.
“And I’m also looking to the future: I’d rather play another 20 games than get injured again now.”
He also added that he 'argued' with the Reds' staff as he fought to be involved in his first cup final for Liverpool.
“I don’t wear it well, I hate not playing,” he said. “I argued a lot with the doctors. I feel like I could play, but the diagnosis doesn’t show that. I believe they know better, but that’s how it feels.
“Klopp regularly inquires, asking how I am, when we don’t even meet, because I might go to training differently from the team.”
Along with the Szoboszlai, the likes of Curtis Jones and Trent Alexander-Arnold were also seen at Wembley, with both pictured in braces as they recover from injury.