'I chose to sign for Liverpool but I couldn't make training - now I could join for £33m'

appeal. While Frimpong may represent Holland on the international stage and is of Ghanaian descent, he spent the majority of his childhood in the UK. Frimgpong and his family moved to Greater Manchester when he was aged seven and he was signed by Manchester City a couple of years later.

Frimpong ‘chose’ Liverpool’

Yet things could have been so different. Liverpool were keen to snap him up to their academy after watching him for grassroots team AFC Clayton. Indeed, Frimpong fancied the move but circumstances meant he was unable to travel to Kirkby for training so he joined City.

He told Rising Ballers: “One time with AFC Clayton, we had a final. I scored a hat-trick and won player of the tournament. There were scouts from Liverpool, Man City, Bolton and lots more. I chose Liverpool first. I was going to sign for them but back then, driving wasn’t a thing. My family wasn’t driving and it was far. Man City was local so I tried Man City next. It made more sense. It was 15 minutes on the bus.”

However, first-team chances were difficult at Man City for Frimpong. He did not make a senior appearance before opting to leave in September 2019 when joining Celtic. It was at the Scottish giants where he thrived and was part of their 2019-20 domestic treble-winning team. Speaking to the Scotsman on his decision to leave City, Frimpong said: “I had been at City all my football life and I had the ability to play there,” he said. “But I knew in my head that it was about the coach, Pep Guardiola, trusting me to play. And I knew I wasn’t going to get that. So I needed to change something.

“When he bought another right-back this summer, Joao Cancelo, that topped it off because he is a young guy as well. You train with the first team every week and then you go back down with the under-23s. There wasn’t really a pathway for me at Man City.

“So it wasn’t really that hard a decision. Obviously I would have loved to play for City, but I knew one day I would leave. This is just the beginning for me. Maybe I could go back there one day but right now I am staying here.”

In January 2021, Frimpong’s form was rewarded with a move to Leverkusen where his upward trajectory has continued. He has a Bundesliga winners’ medal to his name, Champions League experience and has been capped 12 times for the Netherlands.

Reports have suggested that Slot has already held talks with Frimpong about a potential switch to Anfield. Having previously wanted to sign for Liverpool, he could well get the chance in the coming months.