Genk’s chief technical director Dimitri de Conde has heaped praise on Liverpool striker Divock Origi, who is a product of his team’s academy.
The likes of Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, Manchester City playmaker Kevin de Bruyne and Leicester City enforcer Wilfred Ndidi all made their starts with the Belgian side, but De Conde is particularly fond of the Reds star.
“He is a fantastic person, his family are very supportive, I played with his father Mike and he has the same respect for the game,” he told the Daily Mirror. “He puts so much effort in, he is a team player and, even though he doesn’t start every game, he is just as determined as every other player.
“That is the perfect quality to have in your squad and that is why he deserved his chance in the Champions League last season and the reason that he scored in the final. He gives everything for the team.”
OPINION
Everything De Conde says here makes perfect sense. Origi is the ideal squad player for a top team like Liverpool, and he’s become a really important player for them over the past year. Jurgen Klopp needs somebody who can come in and do a job when one of his fearsome front three is injured or needs a rest, but who is happy to take up that role. Origi is exactly that, a good solider who almost always plays well when he steps into the breach. It’s arguable that the Reds may not have won the Champions League without him last season. Unfortunately, though, injury problems have limited his impact this term. As per WhoScored.com, the Belgian international has started only four games in all competitions this campaign, scoring just once. So he’s not been a regular, as per De Conde’s description of him, but he appears perfectly happy with his lot in life.
