The German manager is very pleased with his first signing
He may only be 19 and heading straight back to Serbia to finish his season with Red Star Belgrade, but Jurgen Klopp’s first signing as Liverpool manager – Marko Grujic – has a big future ahead of him and the German is delighted with snapping up the youngster.
The Serbian has been linked with a host of Europe’s top clubs over the past 12 months, with the likes of PSG reportedly keen, but Liverpool stepped up their interest once Klopp arrived, with the manager instrumental in convincing the youngster to sign on at Anfield.
Speaking to Liverpoolfc.com this afternoon, Klopp said: “Very pleased because Marko is a big talent and we’ve seen him a lot of times. When I came here, our scouts showed me some footage of a very skilled player from Red Star Belgrade.
“We watched it, we spoke to him, we met each other – he’s a good boy, a young boy but plays an important role at the moment at Red Star, who are the best team in Serbia.
“It’s a country where a lot of good football players have come from in the last 20-30 years. Always, there are big players coming from there because they have a good mentality, good technical skills, and are open for tactical advice and things like this.
“To describe him, I would say he’s a tall boy, but quick and good at technical things. He can play passes and can dribble. But he is young, so he has to develop. He will do this, so everything is okay.”
Grujic is just 19 but is expected to go on to become a top player in Europe, and has been allowed to return to his former club on loan until the end of the season, with Red Star currently running away with the title and the midfielder playing a key role in that run.
The youngster was also a key player in Serbia U20’s World Cup win in New Zealand, beating Brazil in the final and it’s clear that the Reds have worked hard to ensure that potentially one of the best players in Europe is now a Liverpool player and Klopp believes he has what it takes to be a success in the Premier League.
Klopp continued: “We will see, but of course, that’s what we think and you always need to have a little bit of fantasy because the leagues are different but he’s tall enough and young enough to get stronger and all these things.
“The skills he has now have made him the player we wanted and now we can start working together. We think he will be good for the Premier League.”
