Sky Sports pundit Phil Thompson has heaped high praise on Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum, saying that he’s a “properly gifted player in more ways than the silky skills of the guys up front.”
When you think about Liverpool, everyone talks about Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino, the power three that score week-in, week-out,
However, Wijnaldum was on the score sheet in the last Premier League win against Bournemouth and Thompson admits he has been blown away by the 28-year-old this season.
Talking on Sky Sports News (12.30pm, Saturday), he said of Wijnaldum’s goal: “It was just quite sensational. He’s one of the unsung heroes of this Liverpool side.
“I’ve told a lot of people… we had one player Ray Kennedy, fans were forever complaining about him, but we knew how good he was. Wijnaldum is the same and he should be the first name on the team sheet.
“He possesses great knowledge and awareness of where he is on the pitch. He’s a properly gifted player in more ways than the silky skills of the guys up front.”
OPINION
Behind every good premier League-winning side, you’ll find a midfielder who doesn’t always get the praise he deserves. For Leicester and Chelsea it was N’Golo Kante, for Man City it’s Fernandinho and for Liverpool it’s Wijnaldum. Ask anyone who the best Liverpool player is and you’ll get Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah’s name thrown back more often than not. But Wijnaldum has been absolutely brilliant so far this season, after an inauspicious start to his Liverpool career. if Liverpool go on to win their first Premier League title this season, Wijnaldum will be one of the main reasons. Goals are important, obviously, and Van Dijk has won his team a lot of points at the back, but Wijnaldum is indeed an unsung hero who deserves to be put up with this duo.