Dominik Szoboszlai says the apparent dispute over Liverpool’s captaincy armband with Curtis Jones and Kostas Tsimikas has been resolved and insists there was no anger between the three players.
The incident followed Liverpool’s 1-0 pre-season friendly win against Wrexham at Yankee Stadium in New York.
After the final whistle, Jones and Szoboszlai, followed by Tsimikas, appeared to argue as the Liverpool squad crossed the pitch to acknowledge the supporters.
During the match, Szoboszlai handed the captain’s armband to Tsimikas rather than Jones when he was substituted. Footage from the post-match exchange appeared to show the Greece international throwing the armband to the ground.
However, when Liverpool lost 4-2 to Leeds last Sunday, Szoboszlai passed the armband to Jones.
The Hungary captain said the incident had been overplayed by the media.
“It wasn’t a discussion between us three. We just discussed something on the pitch. And then you guys [the media] made it bigger. But next time we will solve it in the dressing room. No-one was angry at each other. Everything is clear, everything is fine,” Szoboszlai said.
With regular captain Virgil van Dijk absent from the club’s United States tour and Joe Gomez suffering an injury in the opening game, Szoboszlai led the side for much of the trip.
The midfielder also said new Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola had not yet spoken to the players about the vacant vice-captaincy position. Andy Robertson’s departure for Tottenham Hotspur has left the role open.
“No, there was no discussion. Obviously we have Virgil as captain. We have Alisson. We have Joe Gomez. So there was no discussion at all. Obviously Alisson is not here and Joe is injured. It was a big proud moment, and let’s see. It is not in my hands. It is not decided yet,” he added, as quoted by BBC.
Szoboszlai said he would welcome the opportunity if he were offered the position, although he would support whichever player was chosen.
“If you get offered the vice-captain position at Liverpool, you would take it. It would be a big proud moment for me. But I respect everyone, so either way, whoever gets the position, we will follow him,” he said.
Speaking to the media in Chicago shortly before Liverpool travelled back to the United Kingdom, Szoboszlai said he was eager for the new campaign to begin.
“I can’t wait for the new season,” he said.
“I feel like we are ready to go again and we will take motivation from last season, because it was not the best, we didn’t achieve what we wanted, so we will try again.”
Szoboszlai also declined to comment on whether Liverpool should make further signings.
“It is not my job to tell you who we should sign or whether we should sign anyone. If the people in charge and the manager decide to sign a player, we will be happy and welcome him. If they decide not to sign, then we will have to do something special with this team,” he said.
