Xherdan Shaqiri Backtracks on Liverpool and Manchester United Transfer Talk

Bayern Munich winger Xherdan Shaqiri has backtracked on recent newspaper reports that claimed he was ready to listen to offers from Liverpool and Manchester United.

Earlier this month, his brother and agent, Erdin, told Swiss paper Blick, via ESPN.co.uk:

"

Xherdan is 22. You need to win regular minutes at this age and that, right now, is not the case.

We are now waiting until the summer. When clubs like Liverpool, Manchester United, Inter Milan or other top clubs want to talk, then we will certainly listen to them.

"

The player, obviously frustrated with his lack of playing time under Bayern boss Pep Guardiola, contradicted his sibling, per the SID news agency, via ESPN.co.uk: "I never said I want to leave. I'm very happy in Munich and I'm not thinking about leaving. My brother's opinion was written a bit differently to what he actually said."

In any event, the threat to leave won't have gone down well at a club that pride themselves on doing things the right way.

Former Switzerland and Bayern player Ciriaco Sforza alluded to that fact when he told Blick via ESPN.co.uk: "They don't like those things at Bayern. You could run into big trouble with the Bayern family."

A mutual understanding may well develop between most clubs and players whereby an individual is allowed to move on if he isn't getting many games. However, there are ways and means of procuring such a move.

Shaqiri perhaps won't be enamoured by Guardiola's backhanded compliment that the Swiss is his "most important substitute," per Kit Holden of the Daily Mail, but it's obvious what Guardiola sees in the player.

Such comments could well give rise to the notion that Shaqiri will seek pastures new for his employment. But Guardiola's intense and intelligent man-management and squad-management techniques aren't in doubt. 

Football journalist Stefan Bienkowski noted the same via Twitter after Shaqiri and Mario Goetze were sent on from the bench during a recent game:

Shaqiri should know already that if Pep doesn't like you, you know about it quickly. Zlatan Ibrahimovic experienced such a scenario in the past while playing for Barcelona.

While the manager's words could perhaps have been a little more conciliatory, they are far from inflammatory, and they hint at a manager determined to extract the maximum from each and every member of his staff.

Shaqiri therefore would do well, at just 22 years old, to bide his time a little longer and play his way back into this all-conquering Munich side.

He is clearly valued by the Catalan, and he is at just about the best club in Europe to be winning silverware. 

Unbeaten in the league all season, Bayern will take the Bundesliga title this weekend with another win. And there is still the small matter of becoming the first club to retain the Champions League in its new format.

A move abroad for Shaqiri therefore really makes no sense at this juncture.