Life after Liverpool: Emre Can joins Michael Owen in having regrets after walking away from European Champions

Michael Owen made a classic mistake. The England striker left Liverpool in the summer of 2004 for Real Madrid. By the end of the season, Owen’s former team were champions of Europe and the striker was facing the exit door at the Bernabeu.

The next time he played at Anfield, for Newcastle United, the Kop chanted, “Where were you in Istanbul?” at their former hero.

The 39-year-old has been rehashing events in advance of the release of a new autobiography, Reboot: My Life, My Time. The leaving of Liverpool – and Owen’s inability to return to the club – defined the second, less successful part of his career.

At the same time a less illustrious former player, Emre Can, was in the news. The 25-year-old has been omitted from Juventus’ Champions League squad. The German left Merseyside after the 2018 final in Kiev, having played seven minutes as a substitute in Liverpool’s 3-1 defeat by Real Madrid. Like Owen, he had to look on in envy as his former club won the trophy a year later.

Leaving Liverpool is a risky business. Few top-class players at the peak of their careers go on to better things. Even Kevin Keegan, the club’s first genuine superstar, found things difficult after moving on from Merseyside.

Keegan went to Hamburg in 1977 “for the challenge” and it turned out to be very challenging initially. His new teammates ostracised him on and off the pitch, resentful of his big-money contract in Germany. Hamburg had won the Cup Winners’ Cup in the previous campaign and that brought the Englishman back to Anfield in the two-game Super Cup. The first leg in Hamburg had the air of a friendly and ended as a 1-1 draw. The second fixture was much more hostile. The Kop mocked Keegan, the hero of the previous season’s European Cup win, relentlessly during their team’s 6-0 victory. Liverpool would successfully defend the continent’s most prestigious trophy without Keegan and Kenny Dalglish, Anfield’s new icon, even referenced his predecessor’s words. The Scot asked: “What bigger challenge is there than retaining the European Cup?”

Things eventually improved for Keegan at Hamburg. He led the team to a Bundesliga title and was awarded the Ballon d’Or twice but he never came close to replicating the success he had achieved on Merseyside.

Quite a few club greats regretted leaving Anfield. Graeme Souness enjoyed his time at Sampdoria but watched with pangs of envy as Liverpool reached the European Cup final the year after he left. Ian Rush moved to Juventus only to return after two difficult years. Robbie Fowler was pushed out of the club against his will, moving to Leeds United. Like Rush, Fowler eventually came back but neither man would claim their spells away from Merseyside were the favourite parts of their career.

More recently Fernando Torres swapped the adoration of the Kop for a transfer to Chelsea. The move was positive in terms of medals. The striker won the Champions League, the Europa League and an FA Cup while at Stamford Bridge but Torres was in decline. He cut a sad and peripheral figure for much of his time at Chelsea.

It is possible to move on from Anfield to better things but it takes a certain kind of player moving to a certain kind of club. Steve McManaman showed how it can be done. The winger joined Real Madrid on a Bosman in 1999 and, unlike Owen, fitted in at the Bernabeu. The Scouser embraced the lifestyle in the Spanish capital and won the respect of the fans. By the time he arrived back in England to join Manchester City, McManaman had two La Liga and two Champions League medals in his trophy cabinet.

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Choosing the right club at the right time is critical. Philippe Coutinho was desperate to join Barcelona last year but found a team in decline. His spell at the Nou Camp was disappointing in the extreme and he has been sent on loan to Bayern Munich. He missed out on two Champions League finals.

Javier Mascherano, on the other hand, left for Catalonia in 2010 when Liverpool were at a low point and Barca were the best team in the world. The Argentinian is probably the most successful established star ever to move on from Anfield. Mascherano has no regrets.

Neither has Luis Suarez. The Uruguayan joined Mascherano at the Nou Camp in 2014 and thrived. It seemed a straightforward path – if you leave Liverpool, join Barcelona. Coutinho proved it is not quite that easy.

Raheem Sterling also traded up when he moved to City. Even though Pep Guardiola’s team are yet to win a Champions League, the former Liverpool winger has improved as a player and collected a handful of trophies at the Etihad.

Most who think the grass is greener find that life away from Anfield is more exacting than they expected. Rush and Fowler could not wait to return and Owen was desperate to rejoin the club. Rafael Benitez was not so keen when the striker went to Newcastle but the manager offered Owen a chance to come home in 2009. Liverpool could not meet the player’s wage expectations at that point, however, and Owen went to Manchester United.

If any of Jurgen Klopp’s squad are reading Owen’s story or observing Can’s struggles in Turin, it may give them pause for thought. To improve on their prospects away from Anfield a player needs to have exceptional ability, the right mindset and the nous to choose the next club carefully. Some of the very best have found life after Liverpool more difficult than they anticipated.