24 September 2023 , 07:30
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Liverpool new-boy Dominik Szoboszlai has impressed Emile Heskey in the first few weeks of the season, with the former Reds striker comparing the Hungarian to N'Golo Kante and "peak" Jordan Henderson.
Szoboszlai became one of Liverpool's first summer signings when he joined from RB Leipzig, joining Alexis Mac Allister at Anfield before the start of the new Premier League season. The departure of Henderson and Fabinho to Saudi Arabia forced the Reds to dip back into the market, though, with Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch completing moves to Merseyside later in the window.
The 22-year-old hasn't missed a minute of Premier League football, scoring his first goal in the win over Aston Villa and helping last season's fifth-place finishers start like a train. And ex-England striker Heskey, whose old number eight shirt now belongs to Szoboszlai, has been impressed with what he's seen so far.
"He looks comfortable," Heskey told Mirror Football courtesy of Betting Sites. "I think that's one of the things, especially with a new signing, if you can get them feeling as comfortable as possible as quickly as you can, that's what you're going to get.
"He looks comfortable on the ball, he's very energetic, he can do box-to-box, and that's the energy you need. We haven't seen that probably since Jordan Henderson when he was really at his peak.
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"Obviously with age you change the style of your play, but Jordan was very much energy, box-to-box, closing someone down here, closing someone down there, you look like you've got three players. Kind of Kante-esque, you look like you're got two or three midfielders and it's just him, and this is the sort of player you need."
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Dominik Szoboszlai scored his first Liverpool goal against Aston Villa (Getty Images)Liverpool boss Klopp has already spoken highly of his new recruit, in particular after the Villa game. "He's a machine, eh?" the manager said before the international break. "That is now four games, pretty impressive, absolutely impressive, tactically smart, absolutely ready for the dirty part of the game, really hard work, not the fancy stuff.
"It was so important how Curt [Jones] and Dom closed the spaces. What a goal, I saw it from behind, the cleanest striker I saw for a long time."
Liverpool followed up that victory with another three points against Wolves at Molineux. Szoboszlai didn't score on that occasion, but his presence in the middle of the park did help Klopp's men come from behind and stay within touching distance of league leaders Manchester City.
Next up is a meeting with West Ham, who have a chance to draw level with the Reds if they win at Anfield. The visitors have benefited from new faces in midfield themselves, but this is another chance for Klopp's big-money signing to show his worth.