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Jerry St. Juste has reportedly left Sporting Lisbon furious after speaking out on interest from an unnamed Premier League club. The centre-back impressed as the Portuguese club knocked Arsenal out of the Europa League with Liverpool one of the teams to have been linked with his signature as Jurgen Klopp looks to improve his backline.

St. Juste only joined Sporting last summer after three years with Mainz in the Bundesliga but could already be on the move after receiving interest from other clubs. The Dutchman is famed for his recovery speed and is widely considered to be one of the fastest centre-backs in world football.

Those kinds of attributes do not go unnoticed particularly if you can showcase them in high-profile games and St. Juste did just that. The 26-year-old was instrumental as Sporting beat Arsenal over two legs in the Europa League playing 210 minutes over both matches with a block from a Gabriel Martinelli shot in the first fixture particularly crucial. He also scored a penalty in the shootout as the Portuguese giants progressed to the next round.

However, his comments after the game have apparently annoyed his current employees. St. Juste suggested interest had come in from the top of the Premier League causing ‘some displeasure’ at the Jose Alvalade Stadium according to O Jogo (via Sports Witness).

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Liverpool have been linked with a move for the player over the last few months with Klopp keen to improve his defensive options. Virgil van Dijk has been below his usual standards at times this season and with Joel Matip ageing the time may be coming to add more competition into the backline.

St. Juste has also admitted that he received interest from the Eredivisie as well as the Premier League in the past with his focus on getting himself into the Dutch national team. His comments suggest suggesting he may not be set for an extended stay in Portugal after failing to receive a call-up during his time in the country.

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“I briefly thought about moving to the Eredivisie last winter,” he told Voetbal Zone. “Two Dutch top clubs have inquired about me. I briefly thought about that because I still have the feeling that you are more likely to qualify for Orange in the Eredivisie.

“In the meantime, I am very happy that I stayed here. Then you also see how fast it can go. After the game against Arsenal, interest came from the top of the Premier League. It is up to me to continue this form and to show the national coach that I really want it.”

It remains to be seen what moves St. Juste will take during the next stages of his career but it looks increasingly clear that he could be on the move given his recent comments.

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