It’s always been the case that the attention in football goes to those players who score goals and create moments of magic, so you’ll often see a situation where a player isn’t fully appreciated until they’ve moved on.
There’s still nothing official to say that Gini Wijnaldum has agreed to leave Liverpool this summer, but everything is currently pointing in that direction.
The Dutchman may not even break the top five if you have to immediately list the best Liverpool players in the current squad, but his work is so important to making the system work.
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He’s so impressive with the ball at his feet in tight spaces and that allows Liverpool to transition from defence to attack in an instant, while his tactical discipline and pressing ability cause turnovers high up the pitch too.
Our colleagues at Empire of the Kop caught up with former Liverpool star Jose Enrique to get his thoughts on the situation, and it’s obvious that he feels the Dutchman will be a huge miss:
Jose Enrique thinks Liverpool have messed up by allowing Gini Wijnaldum's contract to run down in the manner it has…
'He can play holding midfield, no.8 – whenever he plays he does well. He never gets injured…'
Gonna be a big job to replace in the summer ? pic.twitter.com/5pSg7lQ6l6
— Empire of the Kop (@empireofthekop) March 3, 2021
It’s very possible that they’ll manage to replace him with a bigger name or a player who is perceived to be “better”, but time will tell if they manage to find another player who fits perfectly into the midfield like he does.