Danny Murphy admits he has been left gobsmacked by Dominik Szoboszlai's impact at Anfield - and revealed the Hungarian reminds him of a young Steven Gerrard.
After just two outings for the Reds, Murphy admits he has been left gobsmacked by Szoboszlai, who he insists reminds him of a young Steven Gerrard when he saw his breakthrough to Gerard Houllier's first team in 1998.
Murphy:
"I have to be perfectly honest with you, I've been absolutely gobsmacked by how good he is.
"So I did a bit of work on him looking at his bits, trying to find as much as I could online.
"You know how you don't get to see too much of the industry and the defensive work, instead you see a lot of the good online, like shots and goals and skills and so you never take it completely for real.
"The highlight reels and bits you can find, they lull you into a false sense of security.
"So I thought, you know what, where's he going to fit him in, how is he going to play, is he going to play the three again, is he going to be able to do the defending, or is he just one of those forward-thinking midfielders?
"Trying to get to these conclusions by looking at these different bits. So I worked on the Chelsea-Liverpool game and then I actually watched the Liverpool-Bournemouth game for work as well, I get to watch all the football thankfully. I've been absolutely gobsmacked by him."
Murphy added
"He's elegant, yet a powerhouse at the same time. He's got this physicality that I can only link to what I saw when Stevie came into the team.
"It’s that ability to run through people and past people, but this wonderful elegance of knowing where people are and little delicate touches.
" Now, I'm not saying he's Stevie G, but he reminded me of that. The way he runs, that way he flies past people reminded me of him.
"He’s got a bit to go before he can get to Gerrard's levels, but I tell you what, I don't know if I've somebody come into a team and have as big an impact as he had in the first two games.
"The first 30 minutes of Chelsea, he smothered them, not just him, but he was the main reason why they could press because of his athleticism.
"Usually in football, you get these really creative technical players or really destructive players. You're either one or the other, and if you're pretty good at both, then you’re all of a sudden a bit of a top player.
"Fortunately, he looks really good at both and that puts him in an elite group."
Murphy continued
"As I said, I’m a bit gobsmacked. I think that I probably shouldn't be because I know Liverpool's scouting networks really good. They've come up with some great players over the years.
"So I shouldn't be, but I am. I think his first two games have been incredible, and I'm really excited to see more of him."
コメント