🔥🏟️Liverpool hero denied Champions League reunion after brutal Zlatan Ibrahimovic decision

Ex-Liverpool hero Divock Origi has been denied the chance to face his former side after Zlatan Ibrahimovic confirmed the Belgian forward will not be part of AC Milan’s Champions League squad.

Liverpool will not be reunited this week with Champions League hero Divock Origi when they travel to Italy to take on AC Milan.

The Reds returned to action last weekend following the international break, losing 1-0 to Nottingham Forest at Anfield in what was their first defeat of the new season. Tuesday will see Arne Slot’s side return to action in the Champions League after a season out of Europe’s elite club competition, with their first clash pitting them against AC Milan.

Of course, the obvious subplot would be to reminisce about the two Champions League finals the pair played out in 2005 and 2007, with Liverpool dramatically claiming European glory in the first of those ties, only for AC Milan to win the competition two years later.

But another subplot would have seen Liverpool reunited with Belgian striker Origi, who scored the second goal in the Reds’ sixth European crown when they defeated Tottenham Hotspur back in 2019 in Madrid. However, the 29-year-old, who left Liverpool permanently back in 2022, will not feature against the Reds on Tuesday.

Recently, former Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who is now a senior advisor to the Italian side’s owners RedBird Capital, confirmed Origi would be playing for their under-23s side, Milan Futuro. Ibrahimovic told CalcioMercato: “Origi and [Fode] Ballo-Toure have been called up, but they will play for Milan Futuro. They are not part of the first-team project.”

After leaving Liverpool in 2022, Origi moved to Italy to join Milan, departing Anfield after scoring a number of important goals for then-boss Jurgen Klopp’s side. He scored twice in the Reds’ improbable comeback in the semi-finals against Barcelona, including the fourth goal that sent Liverpool through to the Champions League final on aggregate.

However, his time at the San Siro has been nothing short of a disappointment. The Belgian has scored just two goals in 36 appearances for the Serie A side, and was loaned out last term to Nottingham Forest.

The striker managed just one goal in 22 appearances, with his lone strike coming in an FA Cup clash against Bristol City, which finished 1-1 with Forest going on to win the game on penalties.

Liverpool.com says: It’s a shame Liverpool won’t get to go up against Origi on Tuesday night, but can you really blame AC Milan for dropping him down to their youth team after his performances for the Italian side? Not really. At least he’ll always have that night in Madrid!