“[He seems] a great man – from the outside – because I don’t know how he works yet and I have to work with him”, said Wijnaldum when asked about Reds boss Jurgen Klopp and what he expects from the charismatic German.
Advertisement
When I played for Liverpool, I heard them frequently say that he would be a wonderful asset one day.
Burnley have also proposed a season-long loan deal for defender Jon Flanagan, who did not play in Wednesday night’s friendly win at Huddersfield or travel with the squad to the United States just a few hours later for the second leg of their pre-season preparations.
Wijnaldum has been strongly linked with a move to Anfield over the past week after Jurgen Klopp turned his attention to the Dutch global after failing with his attempts to land Udinese midfielder Piotr Zielinski.
Since his move, Wijnaldum finished as Newcastle’s top scorer last season with 11 goals, including 4 in their 6-2 demolition of Norwich City.
Newcastle, who are hoping former Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez guides them straight back to the Premier League, wished the 30-times capped Wijnaldum well in his new challenge.
Liverpool, set to embark on a pre-season tour of the US, are yet to lodge a formal bid for Wijnaldum, who is keen to move to Anfield.
“I’ve still got something left, for sure, but obviously it’s probably not the time for me to push for the next three or four years to get a place in the goal”.
“When Liverpool was on the phone, it was a great pleasure for me to take it on because it gives me what I was looking for”. The 25-year-old becomes Jürgen Klopp’s seventh newcomer of the summer, following the moves of Loris Karius, Joel Matip, Marko Grujic, Sadio Mané, Ragnar Klavan and Alex Manninger to Anfield.
“We had a talk and I think after this talk we both knew we wanted to work together”.
Liverpool have completed the signing of goalkeeper Alex Manninger on a free transfer, subject to global clearance. If he has the trust of players around him, then he can actually solve any little issues on the pitch.
Advertisement
Nevertheless, the Dutch internationalist’s best efforts to help Newcastle avoid relegation were in vain but he will have the chance to once again showcase his superb skills in the Premier League with Liverpool.
