Bobby Duncan’s departure from Liverpool in 2019 left a sour taste in the way it was handled and the striker has now publicly criticized his former agent for “jeopardizing my career”.
Duncan thrived in the Reds’ academy in what would be his only season on Merseyside, scoring 30 goals in 43 games and showing plenty of promise for the future.
But in the summer of 2019, his agent, Saif Rubie, launched a notable attack on former athletic director Michael Edwards, launching accusations of bullying and saying that Duncan was “in mental, physical and emotional trouble.”
Rubie stated that Duncan would “never go back” to Liverpool, while the club insisted the comments were “baseless”, creating a media firestorm that Duncan, then 18, should have been protected from.
Rubie was fined and suspended thanks to the FA due to his actions, and Duncan parted ways with his agent after his move to Fiorentina.
Three years after the debacle, Duncan took to Twitter to speak his mind in a revealing post promising “I’ll speak the truth myself when the time is right.”
The 21-year-old’s words appear to have been prompted by Rubie’s appearance on talkSPORT.
Rubie said, among other things, that “the player was a young player who was not happy there and wanted to leave”, and that “I thought staying in Liverpool and sticking with it was the best result”.
And so Duncan replied: “You and I know the truth.
“I didn’t make a decision or say that you took it upon yourself to jeopardize my career and take a local boy away from his boyhood club and let me and my family pick up all the pieces.
“Not once have I spoken about this top in ‘4 years’ as it has been my main priority to get my career back on track. However, you think you have the right to mention my name on a live radio show.
You and I know the truth.
I didn’t make a decision or say that you took it upon yourself to jeopardize my career and lure a local boy away from his boyhood club and let me and my family pick up all the pieces.
— Bobby Duncan (@bobbyduncan999) September 5, 2022
“I will tell the truth myself when the time is right.
“I never should have trusted my career in your hands. I have learned my hard lesson there. And I only pray that you learned yours, as it could ruin another young man’s career.
“And lastly, just to clarify, no advice was given to him when he made a blank decision, publicly.
“And by then the damage had already been done.”
Duncan left Liverpool in 2019 to join Fiorentina, and subsequently moved on to Derby, both without much success. He is now 21 years old and signed for Real Balompedica Linense of the Spanish Third Division this summer.
It is certainly a warning to any aspiring young player.
