Wijnaldum didn’t feel ‘Liverpool love’

Georginio Wijnaldum has said social media abuse was behind his decision to leave Liverpool, explaining he “didn’t feel love” from a section of the club’s support.

Wijnaldum — who signed for Paris Saint-Germain after leaving on a free transfer — joined Liverpool in 2016 from Newcastle United.

He made more than 200 appearances while lifting the Premier League and Champions League titles before leaving at the end of last season.

Wijnaldum told The Times: “Every day in training and in the game I gave everything.

“Liverpool meant so much to me. There was some moment when I didn’t feel love and appreciated there.

“Not by my teammates, not the people at Melwood (Liverpool’s training ground). I know they all loved me and I loved them. It was not from that side, more from the other side.”

He added: “There was a moment when I didn’t feel loved. In the last two seasons, I had it a few times.

“The fans in the stadium and the fans in social media were two different things,” he said. “In the stadium, I can say nothing bad about them. They always supported me.

“On social media, if we lost I was the one who got the blame — (claiming) that I wanted to leave. There was a moment when I was like, ‘Wow if they only knew what I was doing to stay fit and play every game’.”