Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum has been praised as a manager’s dream by pundit Garth Crooks after another superb performance for the Reds.
Wijnaldum has a key role to play for Liverpool at the moment as he deputised well for Jordan Henderson in the 3-0 win over Leicester City at the weekend, earning a place in Crooks’ team of the week in the process.
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The Netherlands international has long been a popular figure at Anfield, and it’s great to see him getting the plaudits he deserves, with Crooks absolutely showering him with praise in his BBC Sport column this week.
Discussing Wijnaldum’s form after a summer of speculation over his future, Crooks said: “I’m surprised this lad is still at Anfield. At one point I was almost certain that fellow Dutchman Ronald Koeman was going to take Wijnaldum to Barcelona.
“It made sense, of course. Wijnaldum is perfect for the Spanish giants but Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp didn’t even dignify the rumours with a response and it wasn’t long before it was clear that Wijnaldum was going nowhere.
“For me, the Netherlands international is a coach’s dream. He works his socks off in every game and, in the absence of Jordan Henderson, is the player who links the back four to the front three.
“The tackle by Leicester’s Nampalys Mendy on Wijnaldum was late enough to have received a red card, but it didn’t because the Liverpool player didn’t make a fuss. I wish there were more like that.”
Liverpool fans will certainly be glad that Wijnaldum is still at the club and continuing to perform at a high standard, putting the distraction of transfer speculation behind him.
LFC take on Atalanta in the Champions League in their next game this week.