As usual for the Carabao Cup, Pep Lijnders took to the media and was quick to comment on one player that Liverpool have been linked with repeatedly during and since the World Cup.
Our assistant manager was asked about Argentina’s success in Qatar and he said: “What I like about Argentina – they play to their strengths.
“For example, Rodrigo with the ball was like a sweeper behind Messi. Messi’s on the inside, he goes to the outside. Messi’s on the outside, he goes to the inside.
“Enzo and Mac Allister, how they manage the midfield, together with Rodrigo [De Paul] but especially these two, how they balance each other.
“Messi, I said already before, if you see from five metres it’s something I’ve never witnessed before, the speed, and he was decisive in each attack they had, he was the start of many attacks, with Enzo of course”.
Most attention from these comments will be turned to Enzo Fernandez, with the 21-year-old who has been described as ‘spectacular’ by Lionel Messi after his goal scoring performance in the tournament, being hotly linked with a transfer to Merseyside.
Gianluca Di Marzio has also reported that we are ready to bid big for the Benfica man in the future and so it’s certainly interesting to hear someone from within Jurgen Klopp’s coaching staff commenting directly on a player so widely linked with an Anfield move.
We will have to see if this will materialise into a move but it’s clear the World Cup winner has many admirers inside the AXA Training Centre, none more so that our Dutch No.2.
You can watch Lijnders’ comments on Fernandez (from 13:33) via Liverpool FC on YouTube: