Going back memory lane in 2015, just months before Jürgen Klopp was appointed as successor to Brendan Rodgers at Anfield, arguably Liverpool’s greatest-ever player decided to call time on his Reds career. After delivering a whole host of trophies to Merseyside from the Champions League to the FA Cup to the UEFA Cup and virtually everything in between, Steven Gerrard decided to move to America.

The indomitable Liverpool legend joined LA Galaxy in his attempts to experience a new competition and lifestyle, with his famous number eight jersey remaining vacant until the summer of 2018. The shirt was eventually presented to Naby Keïta, who was hyped as a truly unique talent by those who had scouted him extensively in Germany and Austria.

Indeed, Michael Edwards, who was sporting director at the time, even agreed a deal to sign him one year in advance of his arrival, purely as a means of getting ahead of the competition for his signature. The Guinean international seemed to have it all, but although he performed to a reasonable standard, he failed to live up to the lofty expectation on his shoulders.

The African midfielder struggled to get on the pitch most of all — having picked up a countless number of injuries during his time on English shores — but even when he was involved, it is reasonable to suggest that he never came close to impacting proceedings like the man before him.

Gerrard was everything great about Liverpool during his time at the club. He was one of the most dynamic performers to ever grace the Anfield turf, having developed a reputation for stepping up in big moments while others shrunk as a consequence of the pressure surrounding them.

The Scouse midfielder could do it all. He scored goals, created chances, tackled opponents, showcased his elaborate passing range, led by example and delivered his remarkable standard every single week. He was as consistent as it gets. Even José Mourinho, who won numerous Premier League titles with Chelsea, tried to sign him three times, having once labeled him as ‘one of his favorite enemies’ in a press conference.

Liverpool will never get another player who was quite as special as Gerrard, but it seems his number eight shirt is now in very good hands.

As Keïta departed on a free transfer to the Bundesliga this summer — joining Werder Bremen — Liverpool quickly moved to sign a replacement and ended up landing the signature of Dominik Szoboszlai from RB Leipzig. The captain of Hungary arrived for a transfer fee of $76m (£60m/€70m).

It is still very early days in his Reds career, but he has now played two matches in the Premier League, and he made his Anfield debut on Saturday afternoon. He was presented with the Man of the Match award after the bout, having delivered a very complete performance with the heavy number eight shirt on his back.

Throughout the clash, Szoboszlai was industrious, energetic and powerful, but while also showcasing a healthy degree of elegance and technical quality when in possession of the ball. He is a truly complete talent, with the 22-year-old almost depicting shades of Gerrard at times.

He covered more distance than anybody else on the pitch against Bournemouth over the weekend, while also misplacing just five of his 71 passes and completing three dribbles, more than any other player. The imposing midfielder was a keen carrier of the ball throughout the clash, clearly demonstrating his physical edge in the process.

“We had to hold him back a little bit because he was the only one who has power for more,” said Klopp after the game, with Szoboszlai forming part of a midfield two towards the end of the match after Alexis Mac Allister was controversially sent off. Indeed, Gerrard also played as part of a two during his time at Liverpool, while also being deployed as a number 10 and as a number six for spells during his career.

Szoboszlai has that same degree of versatility attached to his game, and he’s still got plenty of room to evolve. It is simply too early to assess the success of his transfer, but he is already looking like a steal. The Hungarian international has big boots to fill over the next few years but based on his start to life on English shores, he’s going to be just fine, and that is probably an understatement.

CREDITS: liverpool.com